The black box of the chartered plane that crashed in Baramati on January 28, killing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has been recovered, CNN News18 reported. The aircraft, which was flying from Mumbai to Baramati, crashed at around 8:45 am on Wednesday, killing all five people on board.
Those killed in the crash included Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer, a flight attendant, and two crew members, including pilot Vidip Jadhav.
According to ANI, citing the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder have been retrieved from the crash site. The black box, found at the rear of the aircraft, will be handed over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for detailed investigation. The device will help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident.
As part of the probe, officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited the office of VSR Ventures Private Limited, the operator of the ill-fated charter plane. The team seized key documents, including airframe and engine logbooks, work orders, onboard documents and major inspection records for examination.
Investigators have also sought information from the DGCA related to the aircraft and its crew. In addition, radar data, CCTV footage, air traffic control recordings and hotline communications will be analysed as part of the investigation.
Aviation experts said the exact cause of the crash will only be known after a detailed analysis of the black box data. Aviation expert Dr Ashoken told ANI that while aviation remains the safest mode of transport, most accidents occur due to human error or technical failures, with weather also being a possible contributing factor. He noted that Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections.
Another aviation expert, Diptesh Chaudhary, pointed to low visibility and possible runway misalignment during the final approach as potential reasons for the crash. He said visibility in Pune was around 2,500 metres and could have been lower in Baramati, adding that the aircraft may have been flying at a slightly lower altitude than usual during its final approach, making runway alignment difficult.
