New Delhi, February 24: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded four aircraft belonging to VSR Ventures Private Limited. This decision was announced by the regulator on Tuesday. It follows a special safety audit conducted after the crash of a Learjet 45 in Baramati, Maharashtra, on January 28, which resulted in the death of the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar.
In its statement, the DGCA noted, “Following the crash of the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) on January 28, 2026, the DGCA ordered a special safety audit of the organization. The multidisciplinary audit team found multiple instances of non-compliance with approved procedures in the areas of airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations.”
The statement further explained that due to these violations and deficiencies in maintenance procedures, the DGCA decided to ground the Learjet 40/45 aircraft registered as VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV, and VT-TRI until airworthiness standards are restored.
Additionally, the DGCA issued non-compliance reporting forms to VSR Ventures Private Limited to facilitate root cause analysis for further assessment by the DGCA.
Central Civil Aviation Minister Murleedhar Mohol stated on Sunday that the preliminary report on the Learjet 45 crash in Baramati will be released by February 28 or earlier.
Rohit Pawar, nephew of Ajit Pawar and an NCP-SP legislator, accused the private company owning the aircraft of violating safety norms. He held several press conferences to highlight discrepancies related to the aircraft’s ownership and other technical issues, suggesting possible foul play.
According to ICAO standards, the preliminary report on the Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) crash must be issued within 30 days of the accident. The Civil Aviation Ministry assured that the final report will be released in a timely manner. The statement emphasized that the accident investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is based on technical evidence, including systematic examination of debris, operational and maintenance records, and laboratory testing of parts if necessary.
The aircraft was equipped with two independent flight recorders. The digital flight data recorder (DFDR) manufactured by L3 Communications has been successfully downloaded at the AAIB facility in New Delhi. However, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) suffered thermal damage. Since it was produced by Honeywell, technical assistance has been requested from the state of design/manufacture in accordance with ICAO regulations.
During 2025, the DGCA conducted 51 regulatory audits of non-scheduled operators. VSR Ventures was monitored multiple times, focusing on areas such as flight safety systems, flight duty time limits, maintenance compliance, documentation, and station facilities. The statement confirmed that all monitoring results were duly noted and addressed.
In the aftermath of the accident, the ministry requested the DGCA to conduct a special audit of VSR Ventures to thoroughly review regulatory compliance, operational control systems, maintenance practices, crew training standards, safety management systems, and CVR/FDR monitoring.
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