Ajit Pawar’s Plane Missed Satellite Safety Upgrade by Just 28 Days

The chartered aircraft, a 16-year-old Learjet, appears to have been registered weeks before a rule mandating satellite-based approach and navigation systems came into effect. While the aircraft met legal requirements at the time of registration, experts say it may have lacked technology that could have provided critical guidance during landing in poor visibility.

On Wednesday morning, Pawar and four others were killed when the aircraft crashed around 100 metres short of the tabletop runway at Baramati airport in Pune district. The plane caught fire during what officials described as a second landing attempt amid reduced visibility.

NCP founder Sharad Pawar, the deputy chief minister’s uncle, said the crash was accidental and cautioned against politicising the tragedy.

Most major airports are equipped with the Instrument Landing System (ILS), a ground-based aid that provides pilots with precise descent guidance in low-visibility conditions. Often likened to an invisible glide path, ILS enables safe landings even when weather conditions obscure the runway.

However, the high cost and technical demands of installing ILS mean that many smaller airports, including Baramati, do not have the system.

To address this gap, India developed GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation), a satellite-based system that provides precision approach guidance without relying on ground infrastructure. GAGAN is especially useful at regional airports that lack ILS.
For pilots to use GAGAN, aircraft must be equipped with compatible avionics. Without this onboard equipment, satellite guidance cannot be accessed.

A Deadline Missed
Records show the Learjet was registered in India on June 2, 2021. A new aviation mandate requiring satellite-based navigation systems for all newly registered aircraft took effect 28 days later.

Because the aircraft was registered before the regulation took effect, it was exempt from the requirement. Aviation specialists believe this likely meant the jet did not carry GAGAN-compatible equipment that could have assisted the crew during the low-visibility approach.

The aircraft was operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd and had been in service for about 16 years.

Final Moments Before the Crash
According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, the aircraft contacted Baramati air traffic control at 8:18 am after being released by Pune Approach, roughly 30 nautical miles from the airport.

The pilots were informed that winds were calm and visibility stood at around 3,000 metres, and they were cleared to descend at their discretion.

During the final approach, the crew reported they could not see the runway and initiated a go-around. Shortly afterward, they again reported difficulty locating the runway.

Seconds after declaring “runway in sight”, the aircraft was cleared to land at 8:43 am.

At 8:44 a.m., one minute after the final radio transmission, air traffic officials saw flames near the runway threshold.
The wreckage was later found on the left side of the runway.