India, Jan. 30 -- A series of aviation accidents and serious incidents near Baramati over the past few years has raised fresh concerns over safety standards, infrastructure limitations and regulatory oversight at the busy pilot training and charter hub in Pune district. The fatal among them was the Wednesday crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others, but aviation experts and investigators say the tragedy followed a pattern of repeated mishaps linked to operational and infrastructural gaps at the airstrip.

The Learjet 45XR (VT-SSK), operated by charter firm VSR Ventures, was flying from Mumbai to Baramati on the morning of January 28 for campaign-related engagements ahead of the zilla parishad election...