The Baramati aviation tragedy snuffing out Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s life has ignited nationwide questions on flight safety. Ex-Air India ace Minoo Wadia dissects the event, rejecting snap judgments and indicting institutional shortcomings.
Visibility challenged the pilot’s debut landing attempt, necessitating a go-around. The sequel spiraled into wreckage. ‘Emergency signaled—what prompted it? Isolated engine loss is manageable,’ Wadia posited.
Undercarriage defect buzz? ‘Doesn’t fit; distant crash site defies gear-failure physics.’ Haze lingered post-8:45 AM sans fog, he observed. ‘Contributory, not conclusive.’
Media’s pilot vilification provoked rebuke: ‘Trained experts aren’t sacrificial lambs. Avoid Ahmedabad-style precipitous blame.’
Wadia’s lens widens to policy: ‘India lacks a neutral safety authority. DGCA’s under-resourced, outdated—reform imperative for world-class probes.’
Status irrelevant, safety is non-negotiable, he declared. Theories abound: bilateral engine havoc, runway vanishing act, tech sabotage. Probes will unveil.
From rubble rises resolve—Wadia champions evidence-driven change to shield future flights.