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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Trainer plane hard-lands near Baramati

Mumbai: In a shocker, a small trainer aircraft belonging to a private aviation company hard-landed near the Baramati Airfield on Wednesday, sparking fresh concerns over aviation safety in a region that has been witness to several aircraft-related incidents in the past few months. The two-seater, single-engine aircraft belongs to Redbird Flight Training Academy (RFTA) and it crash-landed near the Baramati Airfield this morning around 8.50 am. There are no casualties reported in the incident...

Trainer plane hard-lands near Baramati

Mumbai: In a shocker, a small trainer aircraft belonging to a private aviation company hard-landed near the Baramati Airfield on Wednesday, sparking fresh concerns over aviation safety in a region that has been witness to several aircraft-related incidents in the past few months. The two-seater, single-engine aircraft belongs to Redbird Flight Training Academy (RFTA) and it crash-landed near the Baramati Airfield this morning around 8.50 am. There are no casualties reported in the incident though the Italian-made plane is reported to have suffered minor damage. Confirming the mishap, Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill told mediapersons that the plane crash landed near Gojubavi village, adjacent to the Baramati Airfield. In a terse statement later, the RFTA said: “This is to inform that our aircraft, a Tecnam P2008JC bearing registration VT-RFY, was involved in an incident at Gojubavi in the vicinity of Baramati Airport. As per the preliminary information received, the aircraft was undertaking a solo flight at the time of the occurrence. The cadet pilot is reported to be safe,” it said. When contacted in New Delhi, a senior RFTA official, Dr. Ritu Grover, told The Perfect Voice that they had no further information on the accident including the identity of the trainee pilot. According to initial information, the aircraft developed a technical glitch while cruising at a low altitude while on a routine practice flight, forcing the trainee pilot to attempt an emergency landing but it hard-landed. “During the crash landing, a part of the aircraft grazed an electric light pole before it came down on the ground. Only one trainee pilot was on board the aircraft and fortunately, no serious injuries were reported in the incident,” Gill said. Upon receiving information from the locals, a police team rushed to the accident spot and cordoned off the site. The injured trainee pilot was taken for treatment while local aviation officials launched a probe into the incident. The police said that further details would be released after a technical assessment of the aircraft and ascertaining the causes leading to the disaster. Incidentally, this is believed to be the third mishap involving the Tecnam aircraft including in 2021 and 2023 in different places. The RFTA is one of the two major pilot training institutes operating from the Baramati aviation hub. The region has emerged as a centre for aviation training, with institutes like RFTA and the Carver Aviation conducting regular training sorties from the airfield. Today’s incident brought focus on the safety record of aviation training operations in Baramati, particularly around Gojubavi village, where multiple aircraft mishaps have been reported in recent years. The latest crash comes barely four months after the January 28 Learjet crash near here that had sent shockwaves across the state and national political circles. The mishap had claimed the life of then Maharashtra deputy chief minister and ex-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit A. Pawar along with four others, making it one of the deadliest aviation incidents in the region in recent memory. Locals recall that similar trainer aircraft disasters involving RRFTA planes had occurred in the vicinity in the past, raising concerns over recurring technical failures and emergency landings dangerously close to populated areas. The aviation authorities are likely to examine whether mechanical failure, pilot error, or operational lapses led to today’s hard-landing at Baramati Airfield. Hazardous Airfield A preliminary probe report by the AAIB into the Learjet 45XR – owned by VSR Ventures Ltd – that crashed on Jan. 28 killing Ajit Pawar and others, had made certain stinging observations on the facilities at Baramati Airfield, managed and maintained by the Maharashtra Airport Development Co. Ltd. Besides the two private aviation training academies, it regularly handles non-scheduled operations, including Chartered/VIP flights. In a shocker, it also stated how the two ATC towers there are manned flying instructors or students, including training flights and VVIP operations.

Rs. One-lakh-crore at stake

Bookies bet big on BJP in BMC polls

Mumbai: As the campaign curtains fell today for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled on January 15, the underground bookie market threw up startling projections, hinting at a decisive verdict in India’s richest civic body on Friday.

 

According to illegal betting syndicates, wagers on the BMC polls have already crossed an eye-popping Rs.1 lakh crore, underscoring the intense interest of political operators, contractors and power brokers eager to capture control of the 227-ward civic giant.

 

With an annual budget of Rs. 74,000 crore, the BMC election has turned into far more than a routine municipal contest - it is a battle for political and financial supremacy in Maharashtra.

 

 

Advantage Mahayuti

Bookmakers say the ruling Mahayuti alliance appears firmly in the driver’s seat, with trends mirroring its strong performance in the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is tipped to emerge as the single largest party, bagging between 95 and 100 wards.

 

Its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, is projected to secure 45-50 wards, while the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may have to settle for a modest 5-7 wards. Together, the Mahayuti is expected to comfortably leap through the majority mark of 114 wards needed to control the BMC.

 

 

MVA luckless?

On the opposition side, bookies paint a sad and sorry picture. Shiv Sena (UBT), which once lorded over BMC for nearly three decades, may get deflated with only 20-25 wards, sharply undercutting its own expectations. After a two-decade separation, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is predicted to make modest gains in 7-9 wards.

 

However, politics remains unpredictable. The recent high-decibel speeches by Raj Thackeray and his nephew Aditya Thackeray at Shivaji Park - especially their aggressive attack on the Adani Group – ignited widespread debate and could arouse sections of lower-middle-class and Marathi voters.

  

Congress-VBA confusion

Following its exit from the MVA in October, the Congress tied up with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), but the alliance faces hurdles, claim bookies.

 

At best, the Congress-VBA could capture around 25-27 wards - a move many within political circles believe could erode the opposition’s collective ability to challenge Mahayuti.

 

Despite the multi-cornered nature of the contest and multiple parties espousing similar civic promises, bookmakers remain upbeat that the Mahayuti is stomping to a near-sweep, tightening its lasso over the country's financial centre.

 

 


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