Recovered black box of Ajit Pawar's crashed plane in Delhi, AAIB to analyse data

THe joseph black package of the gush VT SSK that crashed in Baramati on jan 28, cleanup five people, has reached Delhi and will be decoded by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), officials close to the development told HT.“The black box is already in Delhi and will be decoded in the AAIB lab,” one of the officials said.A black box is a device that records key flight data and cockpit conversations, and plays a crucial role in the accident investigations.ALSO READ | A new video, 3 theories, CID probe: 5 crucial points on Ajit Pawar plane crashThe civil aviation ministry did not respond to a query sent on the development.Five people including deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer Vidhit Jadhav, two cockpit crew members, pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak along with cabin crew Pinky mali were killed when the business jet attempted to land for the second time after a go-around on Wednesday morning.After which, a team of three officers from AAIB, Delhi, and another team of three officers from the DGCA, Mumbai Regional Office, reached the crash site on the same day.The aircraft, bearing registration VT-SSK, was being operated by Delhi based non-scheduled operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd.ALSO READ | Engine failure? Aerodynamic stall? ‘Late view of the runway’? 3 theories surround Ajit Pawar plane crashAccording to people in the know of the matter, the AAIB team officials along with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) returned to base on Sunday night.“All the evidence including the ATC (air traffic control) logs and recordings along with the black box has been sealed and are in AAIB’s custody,” the official said. “A second official said that the accident spot was cleared on Sunday. “The wreckage of the jet was lifted and will be transported to Delhi for further investigations,” he said.The official said that the Baramati airstrip continues to remain closed for flight operations. It has two flying training organisation (FTO) Redbird and Carver.ALSO READ | ‘Oh s***’: Last words from cockpit as jet carrying Ajit Pawar fell“The ATC operations were managed by Carver aviation at the time of the crash. The AAIB has seized all the necessary documents of the accident day,” he said.The government had informed on Thursday that the black box of the Learjet 45 aircraft that crash-landed in Baramati a day before had been recovered, adding that the investigation into the accident is progressing swiftly.“The investigation is progressing expeditiously, and the black box of the ill-fated aircraft has been recovered,” a post by the government read.The government stated that it “remains fully committed to completing the investigation within a defined timeframe, strictly in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and laid-down guidelines.” and that the investigation had been initiated in accordance with Rules 5 and 11 of the AAIB Rules, 2025.