Fresh questions have surfaced over the January 28 plane crash near Baramati that killed former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged possible tampering with the aircraft’s black box data.
In a post on X on Friday, Rohit Pawar claimed that V. K. Singh, owner of VSR Ventures, the company that operated the aircraft involved in the crash, was “reportedly trying to edit” the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) data.
"It is heard that V K Singh, owner of VSR company and an expert in tampering data, is reportedly trying to edit the FDR data (of the aircraft involved in the crash)," said Rohit Pawar in a post on microblogging site X.
The aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by VSR Ventures, crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district, killing Ajit Pawar and four others.
A Flight Data Recorder, commonly called the black box, records key flight parameters and operational details of an aircraft. The data is used during accident investigations to determine what led to a crash.
Rohit Pawar said any attempt to alter the data would be detected during a forensic audit.
The Opposition MLA said officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) or the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) who are assisting, or planning to assist, in accessing the recorder should remember that any tampering will eventually be exposed.
"Once a committee is formed, forensic audit (an exercise which helps in determining cause of an airplane crash) will be conducted, so no one should dare to tamper with the data," he warned.
Some officers may have been compromised, but many officers in the DGCA remain upright and honest, Rohit Pawar said.
Rohit Pawar, who is related to Ajit Pawar, has been raising questions about the crash and has sought registration of an FIR against VSR Ventures.
He has also met several Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, urging them to raise the issue of the crash in Parliament during the ongoing budget session.
The Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the crash, has recorded the statement of VSR Ventures owner Singh. The CID has said it is examining whether sabotage or criminal negligence led to the Baramati crash.