The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded four aircraft of VSR Ventures after finding several non-compliance issues during a special safety audit. The action comes after the crash of a Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) on January 28, 2026, near Baramati, which killed Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar and four others.
Following the crash, the DGCA ordered a detailed safety audit of VSR Ventures. A multi-disciplinary team found multiple violations of approved procedures in areas such as airworthiness, air safety and flight operations.
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"In view of the non-compliances observed and considering the gaps in maintenance procedures, it is decided to initiate the corrective measures by immediately grounding Learjet 40/45 aircraft with registration VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV, and VT-TRI till continued airworthiness standards are restored," the regulator said.
The DGCA has also issued deficiency reporting forms to VSR Ventures, asking the company to submit a root cause analysis for the lapses. The submissions will be reviewed before deciding the next steps.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to release its preliminary report on the crash before February 28. Meanwhile, some concerns have been raised in certain quarters suggesting there could have been a conspiracy behind the crash.
AAIB investigation and flight recorder data
The AAIB said it has sought special assistance to retrieve data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 45 that crashed near Baramati.
In a statement, the probe agency said the aircraft had two independent flight recorders. Both recorders were exposed to intense heat for a long time during the crash and suffered fire damage.
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According to AAIB, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), manufactured by L3-Communications, has been successfully downloaded at its Flight Recorder Laboratory.
"The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), manufactured by Honeywell, is undergoing detailed technical examination. Assistance has been sought from the Accredited Representative of the State of Manufacture for specialised support in data retrieval," the probe agency said.
In this case, the state of manufacture is the US. Requesting all stakeholders to avoid speculation, AAIB said it is following all required technical and procedural protocols to ensure a comprehensive, objective and evidence-based investigation.
The agency added that the investigation is being conducted strictly under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 and in line with international standards and recommended practices of ICAO Annex 13.
Last week, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the preliminary report on the crash of Learjet 45 aircraft VT-SSK would be released soon.
