Yugandhar confirmed that the AAIB team recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the crash site, describing them as critical to reconstructing the sequence of events leading to the accident.“The recovery of these items was extremely crucial for the investigation. Data retrieval is key for us. Now we will decide whether the CVR and FDR need to be sent to the aircraft manufacturer or can be decoded in India. At this juncture, we can’t reveal more information about it,” he said.The Baramati airstrip is now under the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation Limited (MADC). Red Bird Flying School and Carver Aviation use the facility for training operations. Classified as an ‘uncontrolled aerodrome’, the Baramati airstrip lacks several aviation safety features despite frequent VIP movements. It does not have full-fledged air traffic control (ATC), instrument landing system (ILS), dedicated meteorological services, and advanced firefighting and security infrastructure.Officials and pilots familiar with the airstrip said ATC services were limited and largely handled by instructors or trained personnel from flying schools operating from the facility. “The Indian Air Force had to step in and set up its ATC for smooth and safe air operations at the facility on the day of Ajit Pawar’s funeral in Baramati,” said a jet pilot on the condition of anonymity.Commercial pilots said it was extremely tough to operate at the uncontrolled aerodrome. “In such conditions, pilots have to rely mainly on visual approach because navigational aids do not generate any cockpit cues to maintain alignment and glide path,” said a private jet pilot, who operated from Baramati. Based on a preliminary review of CCTV footage, some pilots suggested that the ill-fated aircraft appeared to roll left while attempting to align with the runway before landing. “That may have resulted in the loss of lift or a stall,” one of them said.The AAIB officials said a detailed technical analysis of the recorded data, wreckage and the site evidence would determine the probable cause and contributory factors behind the crash.
