DGCA Orders Special Audit of VSR Ventures After Fatal Crash Killing Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has intensified the probe into the plane crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and has now ordered a special audit of VSR Ventures, the private jet operator involved in the incident.

The crash occurred when a Learjet 45XR (registration VT-SSK), operated by VSR Ventures, went down during a second landing attempt at Baramati airport in Pune while flying from Mumbai. Poor visibility was cited as a key factor in the accident. Ajit Pawar and all four others on board—pilot Sumit Kapur, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali—were killed instantly.

The DGCA-mandated audit of VSR Ventures is expected to be completed by February 15. It will focus on the company’s maintenance records, compliance with safety protocols, and whether logbooks were properly maintained and updated in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Separately, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a formal investigation into the exact sequence of events and contributing factors leading to the crash.

The DGCA revealed that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had earlier denied VSR Ventures permission to operate in EU airspace. In 2020, EASA granted the company Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation, a mandatory safety certification required for non-EU commercial operators flying into European Union territories.

However, following a serious incident on September 14, 2023—involving another Learjet 45 (registration VT-DBL) operated by VSR Ventures—EASA sought detailed information from the company about the accident. VSR Ventures failed to respond to these queries.

As a result, EASA suspended the company’s TCO authorisation on December 17, 2024, and ultimately revoked it a year later.

It may be mentioned that on September 14, 2023, a VSR Ventures Learjet 45XR crashed while attempting to land at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport during heavy rainfall and low visibility. The aircraft was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai with six passengers on board.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s preliminary report, the flight departed normally from Visakhapatnam and proceeded without incident en route. Upon arrival in Mumbai, the crew was cleared to land on Runway 27. At the time of landing clearance (around 1131 UTC), the airport was experiencing heavy rain and reduced visibility, with winds reported at 140 degrees at 7 knots.

VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, operating under the brand VSR Aviation, is a New Delhi-based non-scheduled air transport operator specialising in private jet charters, air ambulance services, and aviation consultancy. The Learjet 45XR model involved in the recent fatal crash belongs to the “super-light” business jet category, originally developed in the 1990s as a competitor to the Cessna Citation Excel.

Also Read: PM Modi Thanks Trump for Cutting US Tariffs on Indian Goods from 25% to 18%