Pilot Pressurised to Make Forced Landing, Swapped at Last Minute: Rohit Pawar's Huge Claim on Ajit Pawar's Plane Crash

Mumbai: Days after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash, NCP (SP) leader and Maharashtra MLA Rohit Pawar has come up with an explosive claim saying that the pilot was pressurised to make the landing, which led to the eventual crash. Pawar even claimed that the plots were swapped at the last minute.

"We have testimonies that VSR Aviation pressurised the pilots to make the landing. The pilot was pressurised as they were worried that the 10 lakh rent would be lost," he said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Rohit Pawar also claimed that he has proof that FTDL norms were violated and that the cockpit recording was shut off in the plane. 

The NCP (SP) leader also questioned why the airline regulator permitted the aircraft to operate when an European air safety authority had found it to be non-compliant. “European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has sent a copy of the Level 1 safety non compliance. Then why is DGCA giving permission for them to fly the aircraft,” Rohit Pawar said.

Hints at Conspiracy

Rohit Pawar even brought back the conspiracy charge which was earlier levelled by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“On January 27, late in the evening, it was decided that since it was getting late, Ajit dada would travel by flight. If it had been on time, Ajit dada would have travelled by road to Pune and then to Baramati. There is high possibility that this is a huge conspiracy,” he said.

Sharing details about why Ajit Pawar got late, Rohit Pawar explained, "A senior politician was supposed to meet Ajit dada. Initially, he was expected to arrive on time, but later it was informed that he would be late. Following this, it was decided that Ajit dada would travel by air."

“Why did they change the schedule on January 27. We will dig deeper until we reach a conclusion,” he said, hinting at alleged foul play.

Pilot Changed at Last Moment

Rohit Pawar also claimed that the pilot of the ill-fated plane was changed at the last minute, even saying that the main pilot was earlier suspended for his misconduct.

“There were two pilots who were initially supposed to fly the aircraft, but later it was said that both were stuck in traffic. Pilots were changed at the last minute. Who conducted the investigation into this? Sumit Kapoor, the main pilot, tested positive in an alcohol test on April 7, 2017. He was suspended for three years for his misconduct. Sumit Kapoor was suspended by the DGCA for three years. However, his suspension was later revoked and he was given permission to fly senior politicians as well as celebrities. Who granted this permission and how did he appear at the last moment for Ajit dada?” Rohit Pawar said.

'Please Be Sober'

Rohit Pawar also showed the chats of VSR Aviation with Captain Sumit in which the company officials purportedly requested the pilot to be "sober" and not to perform any “stunt.”

“Dear Capt Sumi Bhai - Please be sober and do not do your evening stunt and let me down again,” the chat read, to which the Captain replied, “Copied Sir.”

Time Difference in PIB Reports

Questions were also raised over the time difference in contact with the Air Traffic Control. Rohit Pawar said that according to PIB report, the time was mentioned 8:19 am, while as per DGCA. the time reported was 8:18 am. 

"Why is there a difference? There is a significant discrepancy between the two reports," he flagged.

Transponder Switched Off

It was also claimed that the transponder inside the aircraft was switched off, which may be indicative of foul play.

"We receive all data from the transponder, but it appears that the transponder was switched off from inside the aircraft," Rohit Pawar said.

More Difficult Runway Chosen

Rohit Pawar even questioned why was a difficult runway chosen at the last minute. "The pilot initially demanded Runway 29 for landing, which was the correct choice as it is a flat runway. However, after some time, Runway 11 was demanded. Why was the more difficult Runway 11 chosen," he asked.

Why Was Permission Given To Fly

Rohit Pawar also questioned why the aircraft was allowed to fly by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) when the visibility was only 3 km amid foggy conditions, when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has clear guidelines that flights should not be allowed when visibility is 5 kms or more.

“DGCA has clear guidelines that permission for takeoff or landing is granted only if visibility is 5 kms. But at that time, the visibility was only 3 kms. So why did ATC say all was okay when there was poor visibility,” he said.

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