Pune: DGCA Officials Inspect Baramati Plane Crash Site As Investigation Continues
Pune: DGCA Officials Inspect Baramati Plane Crash Site As Investigation Continues
Pune, February 12, 2026: A four-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday visited the site of the Learjet crash near Baramati in Pune district as part of the ongoing probe into last month’s fatal accident.
The January 28 crash claimed the lives of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali. The aircraft went down near Baramati airport.
Officials said the DGCA team reviewed CCTV footage and other video material connected to the incident during their inspection. The visit forms part of a detailed investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
In the aftermath of the accident, the Union ministry of civil aviation had clarified that Baramati functions as an “uncontrolled airfield,” meaning it does not have a dedicated air traffic control (ATC) system. At such airstrips, flight-related communication is generally handled by instructors or pilots associated with local flying training institutes.
Union civil aviation minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu had earlier stated that the inquiry would be completed within a stipulated time frame.
Soon after the crash, teams from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the DGCA had examined the site, and the aircraft’s flight data recorder was recovered. On January 30, the Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID) initiated a parallel investigation.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, nephew of the deceased leader, has sought a thorough, multi-agency probe. He has questioned the sequence of events leading up to the crash and suggested that the possibility of sabotage should not be ruled out.
