- DGCA grounded four VSR Ventures aircraft due to airworthiness and safety issues
- Audit found non-compliance with approved procedures at VSR Ventures operations
- Grounding followed safety audit after Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's crash
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday grounded four aircrafts operated by VSR ventures on grounds of deficiencies found in area of airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations, the aviation watchdog said in a note on Tuesday.
During the inspection, the audit team observed several non-compliances of approved procedures at VSR ventures and discovered that the aircrafts were inefficient in the aforementioned areas.
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The aircrafts were grounded after DGCA's safety audit. The safety audit of all non-scheduled operators was ordered by the aviation regulator in days following the demise of Maharashtra's deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
VSR ventures Pvt. Ltd. came into the limelight after one of its chartered planes VRS's Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK), carrying Pawar, crashed in Baramati approximately a month ago.
Four Learjet 40/45 aircraft, with registation names VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV, and VT-TRI have been grounded till continued airworthiness standards are restored, DGCA underlined in its note.
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Further, the statutory body has ordered VSR Ventures to submit root cause analysis.
Notably, this was the second major hull-loss incident involving a Learjet 45 operated by VSR Ventures in less than three years, following the crash of VT-DBL in Mumbai in September 2023.
The official website of VSR Aviation suggests the firm offers aircraft charters to business professionals, with a portfolio of over 60 pilots and a track record of 15 years.
The company has listed Havells India, Welspun and APL Apollo as key customers, although the website does not offer more details on any of these clients.
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