The Aryavarth Express New Delhi / Baramati: A special team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with investigating the charter plane crash in Baramati that claimed the lives of five people, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The probe will involve retrieving and analyzing the aircraft’s flight recorder, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), and Digital Engine Electronic System (DEES). The team will also examine airframe and engine logbooks, work orders, on-board documents, and major inspection records provided by the aircraft operator.
Documents from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) concerning the crew and aircraft, as well as radar data, CCTV footage, ATC tape recordings, and hotline communications, will be collected for further scrutiny. Statements from witnesses and relevant personnel will also be recorded as part of the investigation.
Ajit Pawar, 66, died while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati. He had attended a Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure meeting in Mumbai on January 27, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Following the tragedy, CM Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of mourning. Decisions regarding Pawar’s last rites will be taken in consultation with his family.
Pawar, the nephew of NCP founder Sharad Pawar and cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, was Maharashtra’s longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister, holding the position non-consecutively across six terms in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde. He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar, and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.
