Ajit Pawar dies after a Learjet crashes during landing at Baramati airport. Photos: X.
Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister died on Wednesday, January 28, after the aircraft he was travelling in crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Maharashtra, a close aide confirmed. He was 66. The aircraft, a Learjet 45 chartered from Mumbai, went off the side of the runway during landing and crashed, resulting in the death of all six people on board.
According to officials, the aircraft bearing registration number VT-SSK was attempting to land at Baramati airport when the incident occurred. The crash took place at 8:48 am, at the threshold of runway 11, following which the aircraft burst into flames.
Baramati airport manager Shivaji Taware told agencies, “the aircraft VT SSK was attempting a landing, and the aircraft went off the side of the runway and crashed.”
He further clarified that the jet involved was a Learjet 45 that had been chartered from Mumbai.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the aircraft was carrying six people, including Ajit Pawar.
Those on board included:
Ajit Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party leader Vidip Jadhav
Pinki Mali
Sumit Kapoor
Shambhavi Pathak
Two crew members
DGCA officials stated that two members of Pawar’s security staff and two crew members were also among those killed.
Ajit Pawar had left his Mumbai residence early on Tuesday for his hometown Baramati in Pune district, where he was scheduled to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections.
The fatal crash occurred while the aircraft was attempting to land at the local airport before the planned engagements.
According to reports, the aircraft encountered extremely dense fog across Pune district and the Baramati region. Officials believe the weather conditions may have caused the aircraft to lose its course while flying through a hilly area, eventually crashing into a rocky outcrop.
The Baramati airport is operated by a private entity and was recently handed over to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company, officials said.
DGCA officials told that a comprehensive investigation into the crash is underway.
As part of the probe:
The distribution of wreckage will be carefully examined and photographed to assess the aircraft’s direction, speed, and impact angle at the time of the crash.
The black box will be retrieved to evaluate the aircraft’s condition and determine whether it was fit to fly.
Pre-flight maintenance records will be scrutinised.
Investigators will analyse the cockpit voice recorder to understand the pilots’ final moments.
Air traffic control communications will be reviewed to determine what went wrong.
External factors such as weather conditions, runway positioning, and wind patterns will also form part of the inquiry.
Also Read: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar Dies In Baramati Plane Crash Along With 4 Others
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
Ajit Pawar Dies In Plane Crash: Maharashtra Announces Public Holiday, Three-Day Mourning
Ajit Pawar was the longest serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in…
Vodafone Idea Share Price in Focus: Q3FY26 Numbers Cheer Investors Despite Debt Worries
Vodafone Idea share price jumped over 2% after improved Q3FY26 results. Despite debt and subscriber…
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati on Wednesday, shocking…
