A private‑company training aircraft made an emergency landing near the Baramati airstrip in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Sunday, skidding off the runway but leaving both occupants unharmed, police said. The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. and involved a Cessna 172 registered as VT SEX, owned by Carver Aviation.
Incident Details
Senior police official Sandip Singh Gill, superintendent of Pune, confirmed that the plane “skidded while landing” and that no serious injuries have been reported. According to Gill, the aircraft was flying at a comparatively low altitude when it suffered a technical malfunction, according to eyewitness accounts. During the forced landing, one side of the aircraft is said to have struck a light pole before making contact with the ground.
Both people on board – the pilot and a trainee – were taken to a nearby medical facility for precautionary checks, but doctors found no life‑threatening injuries. The aircraft, a four‑seater Cessna 172, sustained damage to its landing gear and the portion of the fuselage that hit the pole, officials added.
Past Accidents at Baramati Airstrip
The Baramati airstrip has been the site of several high‑profile aviation mishaps in recent months. In January, the former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, died when his Learjet 45 crashed during a second landing attempt at the same airstrip. The private charter plane, owned by VSR Ventures, also claimed the lives of four others: Pawar’s security officer, an attendant, and the two crew members – pilot‑in‑command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with probing that crash, and the final report is expected by January of next year. The investigation will examine whether pilot error, technical failure, or runway conditions contributed to the fatal outcome.
A separate incident occurred on May 13, when a trainer aircraft belonging to Redbird Flight Training Academy crashed near the Baramati airstrip. The sole occupant, a trainee pilot, escaped without injury after the aircraft went down near Gojubavi village at 8:50 a.m. Redbird Flight Training Academy announced that it had launched its own internal inquiry into the cause of that accident.
Ongoing Investigations
Following the Sunday skidding event, police have opened a formal investigation to determine whether the aircraft suffered a technical snag or if other factors, such as runway conditions, played a role. A senior police official told PTI that “it is too early to comment on anything” until the technical examination of the wreckage is complete.
Carver Aviation, the operator of the Cessna 172, has also said it will cooperate fully with authorities and conduct its own safety review. The company did not immediately release a statement regarding the specific nature of the malfunction, but it confirmed that the aircraft was being serviced according to the manufacturer’s schedule.
Local aviation experts have noted that the Baramati airstrip, while serving private and training flights, lacks some of the navigational aids found at larger airports. The repeated incidents have prompted calls for a safety audit of the runway, lighting, and surrounding infrastructure, although no official directive has been issued to date.
Police continue to collect eyewitness testimonies and technical data from the aircraft’s flight recorder. The investigation will also assess whether the light pole that was struck met the regulatory standards for placement near the runway’s safety area.
While the recent skidding incident resulted in no serious injuries, it adds to a series of aviation events that have drawn public attention to Baramati’s flight operations. Authorities have emphasized that safety remains a priority and that all findings will be shared with the aviation community once the inquiries are concluded.
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