Trainer aircraft crash-lands at Pune’s Baramati airport; no casualties reported
Baramati: A trainer aircraft operated by a private company crash-landed at Baramati airport in Pune on Sunday afternoon. No injuries have been reported, officials said.
The latest incident occurred at around 12:35 p.m. within the airport premises, a short distance from the runway. No casualties were reported in the crash-landing; however, the aircraft suffered minor damage.
This comes around seven months after the then Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when their Learjet 45 aircraft crashed near Baramati airport in January.
Pawar was travelling in the VSR Ventures-owned aircraft along with his personal security officer, an attendant and two cockpit crew members.
The aircraft, which was being operated by pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak, crashed during its second attempt to land at Baramati airport on January 28.
Following the fatal accident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) conducted a probe into the crash. In its preliminary report, the aircraft accident investigation agency stated that visibility at the time of the incident was below the required level.
The AAIB report also highlighted concerns regarding the condition of the Baramati airport runway. It flagged fading markings on the runway as well as the presence of loose gravel on the runway surface, raising questions over the safety conditions at the airfield.
The investigation agency subsequently recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ensure that prescribed safety standards are properly maintained at uncontrolled airfields.
The AAIB is expected to submit its final report into the Pawar aircraft crash by January next year. The final findings are expected to provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident and the factors that contributed to it.
The latest crash-landing is also not the first trainer aircraft accident reported at Baramati this year. Earlier in May, another trainer aircraft operated by a private company crashed near the Baramati airstrip.
The May incident occurred near Gojubavi village, located adjacent to the Baramati airstrip area. No serious injuries were reported in that accident, and the trainee pilot, who was the only person on board the aircraft, managed to escape safely.
According to details available at the time, a part of the trainer aircraft struck an electric pole shortly before it was due to land. Despite the impact, the trainee pilot survived the incident without sustaining serious injuries.