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India's DGCA Grounds Four Learjets After Fatal Baramati Crash; AAIB Report Due Before Feb. 28

The Economic Times reports the regulator found non-compliances at operator VSR Ventures after the January 28 crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Feb 24, 2026, 12:09 p.m. ETWritten Aug 9, 2026, 10:53 p.m. ET
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered the immediate grounding of four Learjet 40/45 aircraft and a special safety audit of operator following the January 28, 2026 crash of a near , in Pune district, Maharashtra, according to the Economic Times. The investigation remains open and the situation is still developing. The Economic Times reported that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was among those killed in the crash. The aircraft involved was registered , the outlet reported; aircraft registry records list as a Learjet, a twin-engine jet landplane registered in India. According to the Economic Times, the DGCA's special audit of found non-compliances in airworthiness, air safety and flight operations, and the regulator ordered the grounding of Learjet 40/45 aircraft registered VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV and VT-TRI. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and the DGCA are the bodies involved, and the AAIB is expected to issue its preliminary report before February 28, the outlet reported. The cause of the crash has not been determined. The Economic Times reported that concerns have been raised in certain quarters claiming there could have been a conspiracy behind the crash; no authority has made any such finding, and nothing on the record establishes a cause. Geographic reference data places in Pune District, Maharashtra, at a settlement elevation of 1,873 feet and about 9.0 miles east of Airport; that locates the town, not the accident site, which the facts do not specify.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
VT-SSK
Type
LEARJET — twin-engine jet landplane
Terrain elevation
1,873 ft
Nearest aerodrome
9.0 miles W of Baramati Airport (IN-0024)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 110 Aug 2026, 02:53current

    First published.

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