Footage gives rise to three theories for Pawar jet crash

Black box recovered from crash spot, AAIB begins investigation

- Neha LM Tripathi

New video emerged of the final moments of VT-SSK, the Learjet 45 business jet that crashed in Baramati on Wednesday, claiming the lives of Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others on board, prompting experts to raise the possibility of an aerodynamic stall or a last-moment manoeuvre during what was the eight-seater plane's second landing attempt.

To be sure, definitive conclusions will only emerge from detailed analysis that includes cockpit voice recordings and telemetry data from the black box, which was recovered from the wreckage on Thursday.

CCTV footage appears to show VT-SSK’s left wing dropping suddenly moments before impact. In the seconds-long video, the Learjet 45 is seen nearly snapping to one side midair before crashing in a ball of flames — a visual that experts said gave rise to three possibilities: an aerodynamic stall, a hard banking too close to ground, or an engine failure.

The first scenario, especially in such aircraft that have their engines mounted on the tail instead of the wings like in the case of a large jetliner, manifests in what is called an asymmetric aerodynamic stall. One wing loses lift before the other during slow-speed flight, creating “an asymmetric aerodynamic stall, resulting in a rapid roll and impact with the ground", language the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) used in the investigation of a fatal Bombardier Challenger 605 crash during a circling approach in California in 2021. Like the Learjet 45, the Challenger 605 has its engines mounted in the tail section.

The Learjet too had attempted one approach and executed a go-around before the fatal second attempt. Investigators will examine whether pilots got too slow while manoeuvring visually to align with the runway threshold.