Ajit Pawar plane crash: Son seeks probe, says black box not easily destroyed

Pune: Jay Pawar, the younger son of Ajit Pawar, has demanded a thorough probe into the "possible serious lapses" behind the air crash that claimed his father's life, and stressed that an aircraft's black box cannot get destroyed easily.

He also sought a ban on VSR Ventures Private Limited, the aviation company that operated the ill-fated Learjet 45XR plane which crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district, killing Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on January 28.

"The black box cannot get destroyed easily. The people of Maharashtra have the right to know the transparent and whole truth of the crash," Jay Pawar said in a social media post on Wednesday.


Seeking a ban on VSR aviation firm, he said, "A detailed investigation of possible serious lapses and irregularities of the aircraft firm should be done in a detailed and impartial manner."

His statement comes a day after Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar and leaders from the NCP met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded a CBI probe into the plane crash.

The aircraft accident probe agency, AAIB, has said that special support has been sought for the retrieval of data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 45 plane involved in the fatal crash.

NCP leader Praful Patel also said that the aviation company appears to be mainly responsible for the plane crash, and there could be negligence on the part of the pilot.

He, however, said that all things will come to light in the investigation.

Earlier, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that there was reason to suspect sabotage in the tragic air crash that killed his uncle Ajit Pawar, and also demanded a comprehensive probe by multiple expert agencies.

He also questioned the track record of Capt Sumit Kapoor, who was piloting the aircraft on the day of the incident, citing his suspension for three years for alcohol consumption in the past.