New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- The crash of VT-SSK, a 16-year-old eight-seater jet popularly used for short-haul charter flights, that killed Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar has brought the spotlight on VSR Aviation, a Delhi-based air charter company that has 17 jets in its fleet. All five people aboard the Learjet 45 died on Wednesday when the aircraft crashed well short of the runway at the Baramati airport during a second landing attempt after pilots reported poor visibility. No Mayday call was issued. This marks the second serious incident involving VSR Aviation and the Learjet 45 model in three years. In September 2023, another VSR Learjet 45XR broke into two sections during a runway excursion at Mumbai airport in heavy rain. All eight aboard survived with injuries. "That incident, however, was not traced back to pilot error or equipment failure - it was precipitated by challenging weather conditions," a senior aviation authority official said, asking not to be named. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has taken over the probe. The Director General of AAIB is traveling to Baramati to oversee evidence collection, the ministry said. To be sure, AAIB is yet to finalise its report into the 2023 accident. VSR Ventures Private Limited, operating as VSR Aviation, is a non-scheduled operator. The company operates a 17-aircraft fleet including seven Learjet 45s. Company director Captain VK Singh told broadcaster India Today the aircraft was "100% safe" and the crew was "fairly experienced." He said poor visibility may have played a role but details were still unclear. Civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu K said early assessment has not pointed to any red flags with either the company or the specific aircraft. "The DGCA has thoroughly checked and all the approvals have been given and the organization also seems to have been going through one assessment last year itself, all the flights. So, on that side, we don't see any issue and they have been handling many flights, many VIPs and they are travelling." Naidu also clarified that there were no safety concerns related to the Learjets that the Indian civil aviation regulator is aware of. Typically, the key factor behind an air crash is usually zeroed in upon detailed analysis that includes radio communication, flight data recorder clues and wreckage symptoms. In six of India's deadliest airliner incidents, investigation has pointed to pilot error as a key factor - though pilot groups contend that it is often easy to pin the blame on aviators who die instead of systemic problems. Referring to the aircraft taking a loop before trying to land again, Singh said it was the pilot's decision. "He made an approach from runway 29 and then he carried out a missed approach, before making another attempt. I have no contact with the pilots and we are trying to be with the family first. Primarily it appears that the pilot could not see the runaway.." he said, stating the pilots had ample experience too. "The pilot will carry out a missed approach in case he is not comfortable to land on the runway. He was a very experienced pilot, with over 16,000 hours of experience and the co-pilot had 1500 hours of experience," he said. The crashed Learjet 45XR was manufactured in 2010. Its airworthiness review certificate was issued September 10, 2025....