Rohit Pawar calls Baramati crash report ‘full of major errors’; alleges bid to shield charter firm VSR Ventures, DGCA officials

MUMBAI: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has claimed that the preliminary report on the Baramati plane crash contains many inconsistencies and errors, raising concerns that the investigation may be attempting to shield charter company VSR Ventures as well as certain officials within the DGCA who allegedly supported the company. He presented on Wednesday a PowerPoint critique of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's findings.

On Jan 28, a Learjet operated by VSR Ventures crashed when attempting to land at Baramati killing all the five people onboard, including then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, The AAIB preliminary report released on Saturday flagged pilots' non-adherence to standard operating procedures, low visibility and absence of basic meteorological facilities at the uncontrolled airfield.




"The AAIB report says the aircraft first hit trees before impact. But there are no trees at that spot," Pawar said at a press conference. He questioned the crash sequence described in the preliminary report comparing it with CCTV footage of the accident. In the footage, the aircraft is seen sharply rolling to the left before impact, while the AAIB report states that it banked right, he said.

About the black boxes, the AAIB report said that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) had sustained thermal damage. He questioned the claim and absence of black box photos in the report. He showed the photographs of the black boxes of the crashed aircraft taken after they were retrieved from the wreckage. Capt Amit Singh, an air safety expert said: "The photos released by Pawar show no visible signs of severe thermal exposure such as blistered paint, heavy soot deposition, heat distortion of casing. It suggests the recorder may not have experienced significant thermal damage, though only a forensic inspection can confirm internal heat exposure."

Among the other points and questions raised by Pawar were the absence of investigator's signature on the preliminary report; the late filing of the flight plan and subsequent modification in the early hours; the crew change last-minute and the aircraft being loaded with more fuel than required for the planned Mumbai-Baramati-Mumbai sector.

He questioned weather and air traffic control decisions on the morning of the crash. "If visibility was below the 5 km minimum mandated for a visual approach, why was the aircraft allowed to continue to Baramati by the Pune air traffic control?" Pawar asked. "Why wasn't the aircraft diverted to Pune or Mumbai?"

Pawar alleged the aircraft's flying hours may have been under-logged as it allows the company to postpone mandatory maintenance checks. But that also means aircraft components operate beyond safe limits, he said. He also questioned the rapid growth of the charter operator involved in the crash, saying its revenues rose from under Rs 10 crore in 2016 to over Rs 500 crore in 2025. Pawar alleged that shell companies invested large sums in the firm before shutting down.

Referring to a conversation, Pawar alleged that V K Singh, the owner of VSR Ventures threatened his team, telling them to stop their investigations. Singh allegedly told his team member that he had connections and clout "from the top to the bottom" and no one can do anything to him. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !