Baramati/Pune: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was killed on Wednesday morning after a private jet he was travelling on crashed near the Baramati airport, around 100km from Pune.Apart from Ajit Pawar, four others — two pilots, a flight attendant and a personal security officer — were killed in the crash around 8.45am. The deceased have been identified as Captain Sumit Kapur, first officer Shambhavi Pathak, flight attendant Pinky Mali and personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, besides Ajit Pawar.The airport is located at Gojubavi village, about 12km away from the Pawars’ hometown. Sources said a possible technical glitch in the aircraft — an eight-seater Learjet 45 belonging to the Bombardier family — and sudden issues with the visibility could be the reasons behind the tragedy. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigations into the crash.Eyewitnesses claimed that they saw the aircraft losing balance before the crash. Gojubavi resident Anita Atole spotted the aircraft just after sending off her children to school. “It was flying very low and and circled around the airport once. Suddenly it started spiraling and crashed. There was a huge fire in the air and smoke bellowed. We ran towards the site but could do nothing because of the fire. Within a few minutes, fire brigade vehicles came on the runway, but were unable to reach the crash site in the absence of a metallic road. The vehicles had to go around and take the non-metallic road leading to the spot. We didn’t know that Ajit Dada was on the aeroplane. We learned about it after the bodies were taken out from the charred remains of the plane. The smell of gasoline spread across the area and lasted well past the afternoon,” Atole told TOI.Raghu Maruti Atole (65), a farmer, said, “I was feeding the cattle near my house amid fog when a small aircraft went towards the airstrip. Within a few minutes, it returned towards the landing side of the airstrip from the railway gates side. It was swaying and then there was a noise like a blast. I ran towards the airstrip when there were flames as high as 50 feet. The metal parts of the aircraft were scattered everywhere. Before I could call anyone or do something, I heard the sirens of the fire brigade vehicles.” The plane, belonging to VSR Venture Private Limited, took off from Mumbai around 8am. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft with Captain Sumit Kapur and Captain Shambhavi Pathak (first officer) on board, initiated a go-around as they reported to the ATC (Air Traffic Control) that the tabletop runway of the Baramati airport was not in sight.The aircraft’s crew first came into contact with the ATC in Baramati at 8.18am. They enquired about winds and the visibility. The pilots were informed that the winds were calm and the visibility was around 3,000 metres. The pilots, during the final approach on Runway-11, reported that the runway was not visible and initiated a go-around on the first approach.After the go-around, the ATC enquired about the position of the aircraft. The crew reported that they were on their final approach. They were told to report the runway in sight, to which the reply came that the runway was currently not in sight and they would call when the runway was visible. After a few seconds, the pilots reported that the runway was visible. Thereafter, the aircraft was cleared to land at 8.43am, but the there was no readback of the landing clearance from the plane. The ATC saw flames around the threshold of the runway at 8.44am. The wreckage of the aircraft was located on the left side of the 1,770-metre-long and 30 metres wide runway. TOI made multiple calls and sent messages to the officials of VSR Venture Private Limited — the operator of the Learjet 45 aircraft — but there was no reply till going to press. The company has its offices in Mumbai, Delhi and some other cities. The civil aviation ministry confirmed that another Learjet 45 aircraft belonging to VSR Venture Private Limited crashed in 2023 at Mumbai airport.Experts stressed the flight data recorder (FDR) would help crack the plane crash riddle. Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd) said while the Baramati airstrip appeared like a tabletop runway, it was not too different from other similar landing surfaces. “The tragedy could have happened because of several factors such as low visibility, sudden technical issues or other operational challenges. Once the FDR is recovered, it will provide crucial inputs,” Bahadur said.A retired IAF Wing Commander, who previously flew helicopters over the Baramati airstrip, said the runway did not pose the kind of challenges associated with tabletop airstrips in other places. “This is evident from the fact that no major accident was reported at the airstrip in the past. Fog conditions can vary significantly from one area to another. If the fog was denser than usual, the pilot may have misjudged the exact touchdown point,” he said.Civil aviation experts said flying a mid-sized business jet such as the Learjet 45 posed a set of operational challenges, demanding high levels of skill. “These jets are known for their high cruise and approach speeds. While speed is an advantage in reducing the travel time, it sharply narrows the decision-making window for pilots,” a senior test pilot familiar with business jet operations told TOI.“During landing, this becomes especially critical. These typically require longer landing distances and precise touchdown points. A slightly unstable approach or delayed correction can quickly lead to runway overruns or hard landings,” he added.Medium jets are also more sensitive to weather variations. “Crosswinds, wind shear, poor visibility and rapidly changing weather conditions can pose serious risks to these jets. Unlike airlines’ flights that can divert easily to major airports with advanced landing aids, business jets often operate to smaller airfields, where navigational support and weather updates may be limited,” said another pilot.
