Baramati crash: AAIB seeks expert help to recover cockpit voice recorder data

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Tuesday said it has sought specialised technical support to retrieve data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 45 that crashed near Baramati last month, killing Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others.

The plane, owned by VSR Ventures, went down on 28 January. AAIB confirmed that the aircraft was equipped with two independent flight recorders, both of which were exposed to prolonged high heat during the accident and sustained fire damage.

The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), manufactured by L3-Communications, has been successfully downloaded at AAIB’s Flight Recorder Laboratory. The 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 agency said. The state of manufacture is the United States.

AAIB emphasised that the investigation is being carried out strictly in line with the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, and international standards under ICAO Annex 13. The agency urged all stakeholders to avoid speculation, noting that the probe follows technical and procedural protocols to ensure an objective, evidence-based outcome.

Civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu last week stated that the preliminary report on the VT-SSK Learjet 45 crash would be released soon, providing further clarity on the tragic incident.

With PTI inputs