New Delhi, Feb. 25 -- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday ordered the grounding of four aircraft operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd following a special safety audit that was initiated after the fatal Learjet 45 crash in Baramati on January 28, officials said. The grounding of the four aircraft, all Learjets, raises questions about the company's maintenance practices, their regulatory review, and if the plane that crashed suffered from deficiencies similar to the ones that have now been detected. "The audit was ordered on February 2. It commenced on February 4 and was completed by February 16, after which the findings were analysed before a final decision was taken," an official aware of the development said. The audit followed the crash of the company's Learjet 45 (VT-SSK), which killed five people, including former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, during a second landing attempt at an uncontrolled airport. "A multi-disciplinary team found several non-compliances in approved procedures related to airworthiness, flight operations, and safety," another official said, adding that the grounding was ordered due to the non-compliances observed and considering the gaps in maintenance procedures. "Learjet 40/45 aircraft with registration VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV and VT-TRI have been immediately grounded till continued airworthiness standards are restored," the official said. VSR has a fleet of 16 aircraft, including six Learjet planes after the January 28 crash. The DGCA has also issued deficiency reporting forms to the operator, seeking a root-cause analysis of the lapses. "Deficiency reporting forms have been issued to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd to submit root cause analysis on the non-compliances for further assessment by the DGCA," the official added. The January 28 government statement noted that the last regulatory audit of the company was carried out by the DGCA in February 2025, and no level-I findings were issued. However, on September 14, 2023, another company Learjet 45 (VT-DBL) was involved in an accident during landing at Mumbai airport. That accident is currently under investigation by the AAIB....