Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar was among five people killed when an aircraft crashed in Pune on Wednesday. Operated by VSR Ventures of Delhi, the Learjet 46 went down at approximately 8:45 a.m. The fatalities included Pawar's security officer, a staff member and the two crew members.
Reports indicated that the plane crashed during its landing at Baramati Airport after the crew were unable to maintain control. The aircraft subsequently caught fire. According to sources quoted by NDTV, a wristwatch helped establish Pawar's identity after the crash, a coincidence not lost on observers as the NCP uses a clock as its election symbol.
The 66-year-old leader was on his way to Baramati to attend a series of public engagements linked to campaigning for the Feb. 5 local body elections. He leaves behind his wife Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha MP, and their two sons, Parth and Jay.
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According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Pawar's aircraft first touched down in the Baramati area at around 8:18 a.m.
“The aircraft's next call was at 30 NM inbound to Baramati. They were advised to descend in visual meteorological conditions at pilot's discretion. The crew enquired about the winds and visibility and they were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres,” the Ministry said.
According to the official statement, the crew informed air traffic control that they were on final approach to Runway 11 but could not see the runway, after which a go-around was initiated.
"After the go-around, the aircraft was asked about its position and crew reported on final approach of Runway 11. They were asked to report a runway in sight. They replied 'runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight'. After a few seconds they reported that the runway was in sight," the ministry said.
The aircraft was subsequently given clearance to land on Runway 11 at 8:43 a.m., but no readback of the instruction was received. A readback is a standard safety step in which pilots repeat key directions from air traffic control to confirm they have been understood.
At 8:44 a.m., ATC personnel spotted flames close to the start of Runway 11, according to the Ministry.
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