Ajit Pawar’s plane crash: Second accident involving VSR Venture’s Learjet 45 aircraft   

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others aboard a Learjet 45 aircraft died after it crashed while performing an emergency landing on Wednesday.

The incident has turned the focus onto the airline, VSR Ventures. This is the second serious accident involving VSR Venture’s Learjet 45 in the past three years. Another aircraft was involved in a serious accident after its fuselage split into two, at Mumbai airport in 2023.

According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), VSR Ventures-owned Lear jet 45XR aircraft VT-DBL was involved in an accident while landing at Mumbai Airport on September 14, 2023. The aircraft was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai. There were no casualties, though all six occupants had suffered various injuries.  Howeevr, the AAIB is yet to submit a final investigation report in the 2023 crash. 

“As a result of the impact, the aircraft suffered complete destruction. Initially, it crash-landed on an unpaved area at the intersection of taxiway, causing the fuselage to fracture into two segments and skid, ultimately coming to a halt near an unpaved area close to the intersection of taxiway,” said the AAIB in its preliminary report.

Following the crash, a fire broke out and fire tenders rushed to the site and extinguished the fire. All occupants of the aircraft were evacuated, but they sustained various injuries due to the impact and were immediately admitted to the nearest hospital.

“Passengers and PIC were discharged after precautionary treatment. The co-pilot received serious injuries and was admitted for a longer time,” the AAIB noted.   

The aircraft

The jet was operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, one of the largest private jet operators. As per records from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), VSR Ventures Private Limited generated a revenue of Rs 296 core for the financial year 2023-24. Its revenue rose 33%.

The Learjet 45 is a mid-sized business jet aircraft introduced in January 1998 and is a member of the Bombardier Learjet family. The aircraft is powered by two Honeywell TFE731-20 engines, a version developed specifically for this airframe. An internal APU provides ground power.

The Learjet 45XR is an upgraded version introduced in June 2004, offering higher takeoff weights, faster cruise speeds and faster time-to-climb rates as compared to the LJ45. The increases are due to the upgrading of the engines to the TFE731-20BR configuration.