The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday released its preliminary report on its probe into the Learjet 45 crash at the Baramati Airport last month, which killed Ajit Pawar and four others in the fatal flight.
Visibility is the main issue that has been flagged in the initial report about the probe into the tragic death of Maharashtra's former Deputy CM, which is ongoing.
According to the report, visibility at the time of landing was only 3km and this was conveyed to the pilots. However, the Visual Flight Rules (VFR), which are a set of rules that apply in the absence of other landing instruments, has mandated a minimum visibility of 5km.
Indeed, the use of the VFR was because of the Baramati Airport's serious lack of air traffic control (ATC) facilities, such as a certified Instrument Landing System (ILS), or the wider Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).
The report also noted that the control tower on call that day was a temporary one manned by a ground instructor from one of the Flight Training Organisations (FTO), which hold flying lessons in the area.
This, combined with the airport's lack of meteorological facilities, is said to have led to the wrong weather estimate that was offered to the pilots of the Learjet after they failed to land the first time, turned around, and came to try again.
"While giving the landing clearance, the tower informed winds as calm," the AAIB report said, pointing out the marked difference between the visibility at the time and what it should have been for the tower to allow the flight to land.
Barely a minute later, it had struck a tree and rough terrain beyond the table-top runway's edge.
The report also flagged a major runway issue: that the last runway recarpeting was carried out in March 2016, which resulted in most of the runway markings fading and gravel coming loose at certain spots on the airstrip.
As the investigation continues, more details are expected from the analysis of flight data recorder information. The cockpit voice recorder, which captures crew communications and cockpit sounds, was, however, thermally damaged in the fire after the crash and has been sent to the United States for data recovery by the National Transportation Safety Board.