The fatal crash of a Learjet 45 in Baramati on Wednesday that claimed five lives including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP supremo Ajit Pawar has renewed public scrutiny regarding the safety of small aircraft.
While commercial aviation is frequently cited as the safest mode of travel, "General Aviation" (GA), which encompasses private charters, business jets and training flights, operates under a different risk profile.
Investigators are currently looking into a combination of technical failure and heavy fog across the Pune-Baramati region as the primary factors behind the fatal crash of Pawar’s aircraft. While aviation authorities work to confirm the exact cause, several critical details have emerged regarding the flight's final moments.
Reports from News18 indicate that the pilot attempted an emergency landing, but the aircraft became uncontrollable during the manoeuver.
Data from FlightRadar24 reveals that the Learjet 45 had already executed one "go-around." The crash occurred while the pilot was making a second approach to Baramati Airport.
The aircraft’s last recorded airspeed was 157 knots (roughly 290 km/h) before contact was lost.
While high-performance business jets like the Learjet 45, which are certified under "transport category" rules for higher speeds, the margin for error is significantly reduced.
The Learjet 45 has a documented history in aviation safety records involving several notable incidents.
These include a November 4, 2008, crash in Mexico City, where a government-operated jet encountered wake turbulence, resulting in 16 total fatalities and prompting a review of separation standards.
A June 1, 2003, incident in Milan, Italy, where a bird strike after takeoff led to a fatal crash claiming both pilots; and a February 21, 2021, crash in Veracruz, Mexico, involving a Mexican Air Force jet that lost control during departure, killing six personnel.
Additionally, in July 2009, a Learjet 45XR was written off after a landing accident at the high-altitude Telluride airport in the US, though all occupants survived and in September 1998, a test flight at Wallops Island was destroyed after colliding with a ground vehicle during landing, fortunately with no fatalities reported.
Small planes are physically more susceptible to atmospheric conditions than large commercial jets. The weight and mass of an aircraft dictate how it responds to turbulence and visibility.
On September 14, 2023, a VSR Ventures Learjet veered off the runway in Mumbai amid heavy rain and visibility of only 700 metres. While a larger jet might have maintained stability, the light weight of the business jet, combined with reduced traction and contributed to the fuselage breaking in two.
According to IATA and ICAO 2024–2025 safety reports, the accident rate for commercial scheduled flights remains extremely low (approximately 1.13 to 2.56 accidents per million departures). In contrast, General Aviation consistently shows higher accident frequencies.
Commercial jets feature multiple backup systems (redundancy) for engines, hydraulics and electronics. Many small planes, particularly light turboprops or single-engine pistons, have fewer fail-safes.
Despite the fatal outcome in Baramati, not all small plane accidents result in loss of life. The IndiaOne Air crash near Rourkela (C-208) recently saw all passengers and crew survive with minor injuries. Because small planes fly at lower speeds, controlled "forced landings" can be survivable if the pilot maintains structural integrity.
However, fatal accidents in General Aviation are frequently linked to "Controlled Flight Into Terrain" (CFIT) or "Loss of Control" during the landing phase. The latter being the focus of the current Baramati investigation. As flight volumes increase globally, regulatory bodies like the DGCA and FAA are pushing for the adoption of airline-style safety management systems for private charter operators to bridge this safety gap.
