- Why in news
- On 19 February 2026, the Civil Aviation Ministry said the AAIB is probing the 28 January 2026 Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) crash at Baramati under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025. It also ordered special DGCA audits of the operator and other VIP/VVIP operators.
- What it is
- The Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 set out how air accidents and serious incidents in India are investigated. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is the investigating authority under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Its work follows ICAO Annex 13, which sets international norms for accident investigation.
- Investigating body
- The AAIB is conducting the Baramati crash investigation under the 2025 Rules and ICAO Annex 13.
- Preliminary report timeline
- A Preliminary Report is due within 30 days of the accident, as per ICAO norms. The Final Report follows later.
- Help from State of Design/Manufacture
- The CVR was thermally damaged, so technical help was sought from the State of Design/Manufacture under Annex 13.
- Regulator's role
- DGCA is the aviation regulator. It audits operators and enforces rules. It is separate from the AAIB, which investigates the causes of accidents.
Don’t confuse with AAIB vs DGCA: AAIB investigates accident causes to improve safety, not to assign blame. DGCA regulates, audits and takes enforcement action.
Don’t confuse with ICAO Annex 13 vs the 2025 Rules: Annex 13 is an international standard under the Chicago Convention. The 2025 Rules are India's domestic legal framework for investigation.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- Independent, standards-based investigation builds trust in aviation safety and helps prevent repeat accidents.
Problems
- Damaged flight recorders can delay findings and may need foreign manufacturers' help.
- Oversight of non-scheduled and VIP operators is hard to keep consistent.
Way forward
- Publish reports on time and act on safety recommendations.
- Strengthen risk-based audits of non-scheduled operators and monitoring of flight recorders.
Put in your answer
Audit data: DGCA conducted 51 regulatory audits of non-scheduled operators in 2025.
Post-accident special audits: The Ministry ordered audits of other major non-scheduled operators and VIP/VVIP aerodromes, in phases.
- 2026Prelims Q44Which statements about aircraft black boxes are correct: beacon, recorded data, memory materials
- 2026Prelims Q96Which statements on aviation hull insurance and Montreal Convention passenger liability are correct
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Rules and AAIB role are lasting, with ICAO Annex 13 and a 30-day preliminary report norm. The release is a specific accident update, so no question.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.