Maharashtra : The Central Government issued a detailed official statement on January 28 regarding the horrific plane crash at Baramati Airport. A total of five people, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, lost their lives in this accident. According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, before the accident the aircraft crew had informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) that the runway was not clearly visible due to dense fog. Preliminary findings indicate that poor visibility may have been a major factor in the accident.

Pre-landing conditions
Let us tell you that according to the government statement, Learjet 45 aircraft established contact with Baramati airfield for the first time at 8:18 am. After this, when the aircraft was at a distance of 30 nautical miles, it was released for Baramati by Pune Approach. The crew was allowed to descend at their discretion according to visual weather conditions. During the flight, the pilots asked for information about wind direction and visibility, to which they were told that the wind was calm and the visibility was about 3,000 metres.

Pilot said runway is not visible…
When the aircraft reached runway 11 on final approach, the crew informed ATC that the runway was not visible. After this the pilots decided to abandon the first landing attempt and do a go-around. This decision was taken as per normal procedure for security reasons. After some time, when asked about the situation by ATC, the crew again informed that they were on final approach to Runway 11.

Aircraft landing permission given at 8:43 pm
During the second attempt, the pilots initially reported that the runway was not visible, but after a few moments they told ATC that the runway was now visible. After this, the plane was given permission to land at 8:43 am. However, ATC did not receive any formal response to this permission. Exactly one minute later, at 8:44, ATC personnel saw flames near the runway. Emergency services were immediately dispatched to the scene, but by then extensive damage had already been done.

Challenges of uncontrolled airfield
Baramati is an uncontrolled airport, where traffic information is provided in coordination with instructors and pilots from flight training organizations. The role of weather and visibility becomes even more important at such airports. After the accident, the wreckage of the aircraft was found on the right side of Runway 11, near the threshold.

The plane was manufactured in 2010
The accident aircraft was manufactured in the year 2010 and all its required airworthiness certificates were valid. The flight duration and maintenance records of both the engines of the aircraft are also stated to be as per the prescribed standards. The pilot in command had more than 15,000 hours of flying experience, while the co-pilot had about 1,500 hours of flying experience. The medical and training certification of both were also valid.

Investigation handed over to AAIB
The investigation of this accident has now been handed over to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The Director General of AAIB himself has left for the accident site. Officials say that a final conclusion on the actual causes of the accident will emerge only after the investigation is completed. For now, the government has appealed to everyone to exercise restraint and avoid speculation.