• Source:JND

Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: The tragic plane crash in Baramati, which claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, could have been avoided had the airport been equipped with an Instrument Landing System (ILS).

Retired pilot Ehsan Khalid, speaking to PTI, explained that the Baramati airport's small runway, while sufficient for landing a Learjet, lacks the necessary technology to assist pilots in marginal visibility conditions. He stressed that had the runway been fitted with an ILS or similar instrument systems, the accident might not have occurred.

"Baramati airport has a small field runway, but it is adequate for aircraft like the Learjet to land. I do not believe the runway contributed to the crash, as it occurred before or outside the runway," said Khalid.

“However, if the runway had been equipped with an ILS, it would have guided the pilot more effectively through the poor visibility. This could have prevented the crash,” he adds.

The expert highlighted that the reported visibility was "marginal," meaning it was neither particularly good nor bad. The conditions were not poor enough to necessitate a diversion but also not ideal for pure visual flight, which typically requires clear skies. Khalid added that without the aid of an ILS, Baramati’s pilots have to manually navigate the aircraft based on their line of sight to the runway. In poor visibility, this creates significant risks.

"It appears that the aircraft had initially attempted to land, then aborted the approach and circled back," Khalid explained. "This suggests that the aircraft made a go-around after the first attempt at landing."

While the exact cause of the accident can only be ascertained after the investigation, Khalid noted that based on the available information, there was no clear evidence as to whether the go-around was due to a loss of contact with the runway, poor visibility, weather conditions, or an unstabilised approach.

"There is insufficient data to determine if the go-around was caused by weather or a technical fault. After the missed approach, the aircraft was on its second attempt when the crash occurred," he said.

On the pilot's experience, Khalid described Sumit Kapoor, who had over 15,000 flying hours, as highly skilled. Kapoor was in command of the Learjet 45 at the time of the crash. "I cannot speak to the conditions in the cockpit or whether bad weather was combined with a technical fault, which could have worsened the situation, making the aircraft uncontrollable on approach," he remarked.

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"If the issue was related to visibility or weather conditions, there is insufficient information to conclude whether there was a technical defect," he added.

With no survivors, investigators will recover the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the wreckage for forensic analysis. Furthermore, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) would have already secured all technical documentation related to the aircraft, whether in Mumbai or elsewhere, to check if there were any undisclosed deficiencies at the time of dispatch.

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"For VIP flights, aircraft technical clearances are of utmost importance," he noted.

Another aviation expert, Sanjay Lazar, reiterated the importance of ILS and noted that the Learjet 45 involved in the crash is an “extremely safe” aircraft. Lazar also expressed concern over the lack of proper safeguards at the crash site, urging investigators to ensure that crucial evidence is preserved for the ongoing investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

 


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