An investigation into a 2 023 private-jet crash involving the same charter company whose aircraft later crashed, killing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has found systemic lapses in maintenance, pilot training and oversight by aviation regulator DGCA.
The crash happened at 5.02 p.m. Because the window for private-jet landings at Mumbai airport was closing, the Accident Investigation Bureau report also found that in the 2023 crash the pilots may have felt pressured to land despite adverse weather, rather than abort the approach,.
The investigation has found gaps in the aircraft’s maintenance records, with several logbook entries incomplete. Missing details included inspection and work-order information, corrective maintenance action records, and the names of certifying staff. Documents for some maintenance work carried out by approved outside agencies also did not list the relevant work-order details. The investigation team reviewed the training records of the pilots, including their annual proficiency checks and simulator-training records. The accident report criticised the DGCA’s oversight, noting that its audit and surveillance reports did not identify the safety lapses uncovered by the investigation. It asked the regulator to verify that operators’ manuals comply with existing regulations; conduct a one-time review of simulator-training records of private jet pilots to ensure mandatory exercises are completed; and verify operators’ internal audits.
Several training elements were listed as “not applicable” while they were mandatory and needed to be completed in every simulator training. For instance, in the co-pilot’s most recent simulator-training record from January 2023 training for recovery from a full stall (where aircraft loses lift) was marked “Not Applicable,” despite being required in every simulator-training session. In contrast, the same item was marked “Satisfactory” in the Commander’s most recent training record but it was carried out on aircraft rather than on a simulator against the norms, which was stopped after the DGCA objected.
