CHENNAI: Preliminary scrutiny into the Baramati plane crash has revealed that the aircraft involved was not fitted with India’s satellite-based navigation augmentation system, GAGAN, a finding that has added an important technical dimension to the ongoing investigation even as authorities caution against drawing premature conclusions about the cause of the accident.
Reports quoting officials familiar with the initial examination said the chartered Learjet 45 had been registered in India in early June 2021, narrowly preceding a regulatory deadline that made satellite-based navigation and approach systems mandatory for newly registered aircraft. Because of this timing, the jet was not legally required to carry GAGAN equipment. Investigators are now assessing whether the absence of the system may have had any bearing on situational awareness and approach capability during the aircraft’s final moments.
GAGAN, developed jointly by the Airports Authority of India and the Indian Space Research Organisation, enhances the accuracy and integrity of GPS signals and provides precision approach guidance, particularly at airports that lack ground-based landing aids such as an Instrument Landing System. Baramati Airport, a smaller regional facility in Pune district, does not have an ILS, making satellite-supported navigation especially valuable during low-visibility operations.
Aviation sources said weather conditions around the time of the crash were poor, with reduced visibility reported in the area. In such circumstances, pilots typically depend on a combination of onboard avionics, procedural approaches and external navigation aids to maintain a safe descent path. While the absence of GAGAN does not automatically imply a failure or deficiency, it potentially limited the range of precision approach options available to the crew.
The aircraft, operated by a private charter company, was arriving from Mumbai when it attempted to land at Baramati. Preliminary information suggests that the jet was on its second approach when it went down near the runway, resulting in the death of all five occupants on board, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The crash has sent shockwaves through the political and aviation communities and triggered a high-level probe.
Teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau reached the site soon after the accident and secured the wreckage. Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered and are expected to play a central role in reconstructing the sequence of events, including aircraft performance, crew actions and communications in the final minutes of the flight.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has said that the investigation will be comprehensive and will examine technical, operational and human factors. Officials have emphasised that the operator has not shown major red flags in previous safety audits, but stressed that every aspect, from maintenance history and pilot training to airport infrastructure and weather data, will be scrutinised.
The disclosure about the aircraft not being equipped with GAGAN has also revived broader questions about safety standards for non-scheduled and charter operations, particularly when flights operate into smaller airports with limited navigational infrastructure. Experts note that while regulations evolve over time, older aircraft that remain compliant with legacy norms can still be operating without newer layers of safety technology.
Investigators are expected to take several weeks, if not months, to complete their analysis and issue a final report. Until then, authorities continue to urge restraint in speculation, underscoring that accidents are rarely the result of a single factor and that only a full technical examination can determine what led to the tragic crash at Baramati.