Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Thursday, in view of speeding up the probe into the plane crash that killed Ajit Pawar and four others, sought the Maharashtra government`s cooperation.
While writing a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis a day after the tragedy, Niadu sought the government`s support for accessing the crash site, local administrative assistance, and coordination with ground agencies, among other steps, as reported by news agency PTI.
He further said that key outcomes of the investigation will be shared with the state government.
Although the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which functions under the Civil Aviation Ministry, has already initiated a formal investigation into the aircraft crash.
Naidu, while writing the letter, seeks speedy conduction of the inquiry so that the clarity about the fatal plane crash could be clarified as soon as possible.
Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (66) took off from Mumbai during the early hours of Wednesday, January 28. Along with Ajit Pawar, there were four other persons on board in a private aircraft.
All five people on board the Bombardier private jet were killed after it crashed barely 200 meters from the edge of the tabletop airstrip at Baramati at around 9:00 am on Wednesday.
The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours; co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, with 1,500 hours of flying experience; Pawar`s Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav; and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
Fadnavis ordered a detailed inquiry into the Baramati plane crash
Earlier, Fadnavis had urged the Union minister to order a detailed inquiry to find out the exact cause of the crash and also requested for immediate steps to prevent such accidents in the future.
The Union Civil Aviation Minister said that his ministry has taken note of the Chief Minister`s request to implement measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Naidu has further assured that, based on the investigation`s findings, necessary safety recommendations and regulatory or operational measures will be implemented in coordination with the AAIB, DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), and other stakeholders, as per PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
