Non-compliance found: DGCA grounds Learjet fleet after crash that killed Ajit Pawar

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday grounded the Learjet 45 aircraft involved in the crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on January 28. The crash occurred during a failed landing attempt at Baramati.

Also read: From Bipin Rawat to Ajit Pawar: Top Indian personalities killed in air crash since 2021

In its statement on Tuesday, the DGCA said a special safety audit had been conducted following the accident involving the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK), which was operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. The multi-disciplinary audit revealed non-compliance with approved safety procedures in the areas of airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations. 

"In view of the non-compliances observed and considering the gaps in maintenance procedures, it is decided to initiate the corrective measures by immediately grounding Learjet 40/45 aircraft with registration VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV, and VT-TRI till continued airworthiness standards are restored," the regulator said. 

The Learjet, which was carrying Ajit Pawar, had initially been cleared to land after performing a go-around due to poor visibility. After the aircraft received the clearance, it did not give any 'read-back' or confirmation to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway.

The aircraft was trying to land amid poor visibility, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said. A statement by his ministry recounted the final minutes of the ill-fated Learjet 45. 

Baramati has an 'uncontrolled airfield' (which generally means it lacks a proper instrument landing system to guide aircraft during low-visibility operations), and traffic information is provided by the instructors/pilots from the Flying Training Organisations at Baramati.

The aircraft VI-SSK first came in contact at 8.18 am, as per the Baramati Air Traffic Control (ATC). Its next call was at 30 nautical miles inbound to Baramati. It was advised to descend in "visual meteorological conditions" at the pilot's discretion. The crew enquired about the winds and visibility, and were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres.

"Next the aircraft reported on the final approach of Runway 11 and the runway was not in sight to them. They initiated a go-around in the first approach," the civil aviation ministry statement said.

After the go-around, the crew was again asked if they could spot the runway. The reply was: "Runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight". After a few seconds, the crew reported that they could spot the runway. "The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 11 at 0843 IST (8.43 am). However, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance (did not respond to ATC). Next, the ATC saw the flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 0844 IST (8.44 am)," the statement said.

In aviation, 'go-around' is a standard procedure where a pilot discontinues a landing attempt and initiates a climb to fly another approach. It is used when a landing cannot be completed safely due to factors like poor weather, an unstable approach, or traffic on the runway.

A 'readback' is a crucial safety procedure where a pilot repeats back the essential parts of a message or instruction received from Air Traffic Control. It acts as a "closed-loop" communication system, ensuring that the controller's instructions were heard and understood correctly by the flight crew.

The aircraft carrier was a Non-Scheduled Operator (NSOP). Its fleet included seven Learjet 45 aircraft (including the one involved in the crash), five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft and one Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. The aircraft was manufactured in 2010. 

(With inputs from PTI)