Ajit Pawar plane crash: final AAIB report expected within a month
Activist Hemant Patil says AAIB assured him a final report on the Baramati crash within a month after his sabotage complaint.
New details have emerged about the investigation into the Ajit Pawar Baramati plane crash. Hemant Patil, president of India Against Corruption, who had filed a complaint alleging sabotage in the case, said he met the Director General of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today.
Patil claimed that after the meeting, AAIB officials assured him that the investigation would be completed and a report released within a month, based on his complaint. Attention is now on what conclusions the final investigation report into Ajit Pawar's plane crash will contain.
Patil had filed a complaint alleging sabotage in connection with Ajit Pawar's plane crash. According to him, he first filed a complaint in Baramati. Claiming no action was taken on it, he said he then met the Tehsildar. He said he subsequently took the matter to the High Court.
According to Patil, the High Court informed him that AAIB was investigating the matter. Following this, he filed a separate complaint with AAIB in June. He said that after receiving no response, he then met the AAIB Director General.
Hemant Patil claimed that AAIB officials assured him the investigation would be completed and the report on Ajit Pawar's plane crash released within a month. He also warned that if the report was not released within a month, he would approach the High Court again.
AAIB had released a preliminary report on the Learjet crash in Baramati. The preliminary report said the investigation was focused on low visibility, deficiencies in some of the airport's safety facilities, and operational issues. AAIB had said further investigation would establish the facts of the crash, the root cause and contributing factors.
Ajit Pawar had left Mumbai for Baramati by air. The Learjet aircraft crashed while landing at Baramati airport. All five people aboard the aircraft, including Ajit Pawar, were killed in the crash.
AAIB's preliminary report said visibility at the time of the crash was 3 kilometres, while the relevant VFR operation required 5 kilometres of visibility, as recorded in the report.
It remains to be seen, per Patil's claim, whether the investigation report comes within a month and what conclusions it records.
