Pune: A trainer aircraft operated by a private company was badly damaged after overshooting the runway at Baramati airfield in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Sunday, around seven months after then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash at the same airfield.
No injuries or casualties were reported in Sunday’s incident, and the pilot of the trainer aircraft escaped unharmed. According to authorities, the incident occurred at around 12:30 pm.
Pune airport officials described the incident as a “runway excursion” during a training exercise. The aircraft first entered the runway through Link Bravo and positioned itself at the threshold of Runway 29, where a rejected take-off was carried out. It was then moved to the threshold of Runway 11 for another rejected take-off.
During the exercise, the aircraft could not come to a complete halt on the runway and continued past the threshold of Runway 29. It subsequently veered off the paved surface to the right side beyond the runway threshold.
The exact cause of the incident has not yet been established. A senior police official said authorities were investigating whether the aircraft suffered a technical malfunction or whether another issue contributed to the incident. The official said it was too early to draw any conclusions.
The incident occurred approximately seven months after Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when a chartered aircraft crashed while attempting to land at the Baramati airfield.
The ill-fated Bombardier Learjet 45XR was carrying Pawar, his personal security officer, two pilots and a flight attendant when it crashed.
