India, Jan. 29 -- The pilots flying the jet with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on board informed ground control that they were not able to spot the Baramati airstrip, made a second landing attempt, confirmed that the runway was in sight and was cleared to touchdown, seconds before going up in a ball of flames, the civil aviation ministry said in a release on Wednesday.

Captains Sumit Kapoor and Shambhavi Pathak did not respond to the air traffic control's landing clearance message and crashed soon after, said the release, which detailed aircraft VT-SSK's uneasy last few moments after a 33-minute flight.

The release, which relays the air traffic control's (ATC) account of the exchange, also raised questions about the condi...