A grim and tragic account of the final moments leading up to the plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday, which claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, turning a routine flight into a national tragedy, has been provided in a minute-by-minute sequence released by the government.
Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield, where traffic information is coordinated entirely by instructors and pilots of flying training organizations, rather than a full-fledged air traffic control system. According to the statement of the officer on duty at the airfield on January 28, the aircraft — VI-SSK — first made radio contact with Baramati at 8:18 AM.
The next communication occurred when the aircraft was 30 nautical miles out, after receiving clearance from Pune Approach. The crew was advised to descend at their discretion under visual meteorological conditions.
During this time, the pilots inquired about the weather conditions. They were informed that the wind was calm and visibility was approximately 3,000 meters, conditions that would not typically cause immediate concern.
As the aircraft approached Runway 11, the crew reported that the runway was not visible. The first landing attempt was aborted, and the pilots initiated a go-around, a standard safety procedure when visual contact is lost.
After the go-around, the aircraft was asked to report its position again. The crew stated that they were once again on final approach for Runway 11 and were asked to confirm when the runway became visible. The pilots responded, “Runway not visible yet, will call when the runway is visible.”
Shortly afterward, they reported that the runway was visible.
At 8:43 AM, the aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 11. However, officials reported that there was no readback of the landing clearance from the cockpit, which is standard procedure.
Exactly one minute later, at 8:44 a.m., people at the airfield saw flames rising near the edge of Runway 11. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene, but the impact and subsequent fire left no chance of survival. The wreckage of the aircraft was later found to the left of the runway, near the threshold of Runway 11.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation.