VSR Ventures' special audit to conclude shortly: MoCA

DGCA's special audit of VSR Ventures nears completion after the Learjet 45 crash; MoCA says further action will follow under enforcement rules

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to conclude its special audit of VSR Ventures, the charter flight operator whose plane crashed last month killing five people including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, “shortly” and then take further action, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Thursday.

 

The Learjet 45 plane crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport on the morning of January 28. Following the accident, the ministry directed the DGCA to conduct a special audit of VSR Ventures.

 

The special audit comprehensively reviews the operator’s regulatory compliance, operational control systems, maintenance practices, crew training standards, safety management systems (SMS), and monitoring of cockpit voice recorders (CVR) and flight data recorders (FDR), it said. CVR records conversations inside the cockpit, while FDR captures critical flight parameters such as altitude, speed and engine performance.

 

“The audit commenced on February 4 and is expected to conclude shortly. Findings will be reviewed and action will be taken in accordance with DGCA’s Enforcement Policy and Procedures Manual,” the ministry said.

 

In addition, the ministry has asked the DGCA to undertake special audits of other major “non-scheduled” operators — airlines that operate chartered or private flights rather than regular scheduled services — as well as airports involved in VIP and VVIP movements. These audits aim to examine operational readiness and compliance standards at facilities frequently used for high-security or high-profile travel.

 

“These audits are being conducted in phases and appropriate enforcement action will be taken wherever required,” it stated.

 

“During 2025, the DGCA conducted 51 regulatory audits of non-scheduled operators. Additionally, multiple surveillances of VSR Ventures were carried out across areas such as flight safety systems, flight duty time limitations, maintenance compliance, documentation and station facilities. All surveillance findings were addressed and closed,” it said.

 

On Tuesday, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said it had sought assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to retrieve data from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) because intense and sustained fire badly damaged it during the January 28 crash.