US had warned about Learjet landing gear months before Ajit Pawar’s fatal crash
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US had warned about Learjet landing gear months before Ajit Pawar’s fatal crash")
Restoration is underway at the site of the plane crash resulting in the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five people onboard at Baramati, in Pune on Wednesday Photograph: (ANI)
A US aviation warning on Learjet landing gear resurfaced after the crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. The advisory followed a deadly Arizona accident on February 10, 2025 and flagged invisible landing gear faults as Indian investigators probe the Baramati crash.
The United States have issued a warning about the Learjet planes and their landing gears months ahead of the fatal crash that resulted in the death of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar and four others. These were issued in the wake of a similar accident on February 10, 2025, in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, after the touchdown, the Learjet 35A entered a left-wing-low attitude and began veering left, and hit a parked Gulfstream G200 jet killed the pilot and the first officer.
According to reports by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the flight carrying Ajit Pawar was facing issues with fog and low visibility between 800 and 3,000 metres. The pilot had already aborted that one landing attempt, and before the second attempt became fatal.
"On the second approach, the crew again reported the runway not in sight before subsequently stating that it was visible. The aircraft was cleared to land at 8.43 am, but no readback of the landing clearance was received. Moments later, flames were observed near the threshold of Runway 11. The wreckage was found on the left side of the runway abeam the threshold," read a statement by the DGCA.
Also read: First landing aborted, lost control on second approach: How Ajit Pawar’s plane crash unfolded
According to the warning by the US National Transportation Safety Board, there were faults in the attachment of its landing gear. The warning was circulated for 10 Learjet models, affecting 1,883 aeroplanes in service. It was recommended that the landing gear be correctly attached to certain Bombardier Learjet aeroplanes. It also raised doubts about the manufacturer's service bulletins on landing gear maintenance; it further suggested a post-maintenance visual check of the position of the aft landing gear trunnion pin and retaining bolt. The error was invisible, and it also added that only 12 per cent of the nearly 1,900 affected planes had been inspected despite earlier manufacturer bulletins. However, these Learjet models were older variants than the Learjet 45 involved in the Baramati accident.
The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has taken over the investigation of the January 28 crash. However, according to the preliminary explanation, the Baramati airfield, which is approximately at 2,000 feet, has no Instrument Landing System (ILS). Pilots have to rely on visual and manual techniques for landing. However, some aviation experts said that the approach speed was too high for a Learjet, and that made the approach unstable. The black box has been retrieved, and the investigation is underway to determine the specific reason for the crash.
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