Ajit Pawar plane crash: DGCA grounds four VSR Ventures aircraft over safety lapses

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday ordered the grounding of four aircraft belonging to VSR Ventures following last month’s fatal crash near Baramati, which claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. 

The move comes after a special safety audit revealed multiple compliance lapses in the airline’s operations.

Safety audit finds serious non-compliances

The Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) crashed on January 28, prompting the DGCA to launch a multi-disciplinary safety audit of VSR Ventures.

According to the regulator, the audit team uncovered several non-compliances in airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations. A DGCA statement said:

"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."

DGCA has also issued deficiency reporting forms to VSR Ventures, requiring the airline to submit a root cause analysis of the observed lapses. These submissions will be evaluated before any further action is taken.

Investigation and ongoing concerns

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to release a preliminary report on the Baramati crash before February 28. Meanwhile, some quarters have raised concerns suggesting a possible conspiracy behind the incident.

The crash of the Learjet 45, owned by VSR Ventures, remains under intense scrutiny, with regulators taking immediate steps to ensure compliance and safety standards are restored.