PUNE/BARAMATI: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar, 66, died on Wednesday morning when a private jet carrying him from Mumbai crashed near Baramati airport, around 100km from Pune, plunging Maharashtra into yet another phase of political turbulence.Apart from Ajit Pawar, 4 others – pilots Captain Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak, attendant Pinky Mali and personal security officer Vidip Jadhav – were killed in the crash around 8.45am.
Sources said a glitch in the 8-seater Learjet 45 and visibility issues could be reasons behind the tragedy. An early morning fog prevailed at the time of the incident. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has begun a probe, and officials said the flight data recorder or black box will be crucial.CCTV footage showed the plane, which belonged to private operator VSR Ventures, descending when its wings suddenly rolled sharply to the left before it crashed, indicating technical trouble. No May Day call was made by the crew. The civil aviation ministry said the aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8am, first established contact with Baramati Air Traffic Control at 8.18am. It initiated a go-around after reporting that the elevated runway was not in sight. The aircraft was cleared for landing at 8.43am after the crew acknowledged that the runway was in sight.
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Eyewitnesses said they saw the aircraft losing balance before the crash. A resident of the nearby Gojubavi village, Anita Atole said, “it was flying very low and circled around once. Suddenly it started spiralling and crashed.” Fire brigade vehicles were out in minutes, but the crash site was not close to a paved road. Vehicles had to negotiate an uneven dirt track.
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TOI’s calls, messages to VSR Ventures went unanswered. Another Learjet 45 belonging to the same operator had crashed in 2023 at Mumbai airport, but with no fatalities.
