New Delhi – The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has released its preliminary findings concerning a flight incident involving a private aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on April 28, 2022, at Baramati airfield. The investigation identified significant violations of aviation safety protocols by the flight crew, including attempting a landing despite insufficient visibility and the absence of a Mayday call. Consequently, the DGCA has ordered the suspension of the licenses for both pilots involved for a period of one year.

The incident involved a King Air C90GT aircraft, registered VT-JSP, operated by Supreme Transport. According to the DGCA's initial assessment, the pilots twice attempted to land the aircraft at Baramati airfield under conditions of severely reduced visibility. The primary cause of the poor visibility was attributed to smoke emanating from burning sugarcane fields in the vicinity, rather than natural atmospheric conditions like fog or haze.

Key findings from the DGCA's preliminary investigation highlight several procedural breaches:

  • Attempted Landing in Poor Visibility: The flight crew proceeded with landing attempts when the runway was not clearly visible, falling below the minimum visibility criteria required for safe operations.
  • Failure to Issue Mayday Call: Despite encountering critical conditions that necessitated two aborted landing attempts, the pilots did not issue a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control (ATC).
  • Insufficient Communication with ATC: The DGCA's findings indicate that the pilots may not have adequately informed ATC about the challenging visibility conditions or the decision to divert the flight in a timely manner.
  • Deviation from Standard Operating Procedures: The overall conduct of the flight crew was found to be in violation of established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) designed to ensure flight safety.

Following the unsuccessful landing attempts at Baramati, the pilots ultimately diverted the aircraft to Pune, where it landed safely. There were no reported injuries to the passengers or crew.

In response to these findings, the DGCA acted swiftly to impose penalties on the flight crew. Captain Sanjiv Kumar and Captain Ritesh Rathor, the two pilots operating the aircraft during the incident, have had their pilot licenses suspended for a duration of one year. This action underscores the regulatory body's commitment to enforcing strict adherence to aviation safety regulations and holding pilots accountable for maintaining the highest standards of operational safety.

The DGCA's investigation is ongoing, and a comprehensive final report is expected to be submitted within 30 days of the preliminary findings. This final report will detail all aspects of the incident, including any contributing factors and further recommendations to prevent similar occurrences in the future, reinforcing aviation safety standards across private and general aviation sectors.