4 min readJan 29, 2026 09:14 PM IST
First published on: Jan 28, 2026 at 03:19 PM IST
Ajit Pawar plane crash news: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday. The NCP leader was set to hold four political rallies for the upcoming Zilla Parishad polls.
“There were a total of 05 persons on board including 02 crew members. The passengers included Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Ajit Pawar. All the occupants of the aircrafts received fatal injuries,” the civil aviation ministry said in a government release.
It also revealed the sequence of event leading to the fatal accident.
Ajit Pawar death: Which plane was Ajit Pawar flying in?
Pawar was flying in a Learjet 45 aircraft owned by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd. The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation had conducted a regulatory audit of VSR’s 17-plane fleet, including the crashed aircraft, in February 2025.
Besides the seven Learjet 45 aircraft (including the one involved in accident), there are five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft and one Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, in VSR Ventures’ fleet.
Ajit Pawar news: ‘Baramati’s uncontrolled airfield’
Baramati, where Ajit Pawar was headed, is an uncontrolled airfield. This means that air traffic information is provided by the instructors/pilot from the flying training organisations at Baramati. The ministry said the sequence of events leading to the fatal crash was as follows, based on the statement of the person manning the Air Traffic Control (ATC):
Ajit Pawar death news: How Ajit Pawar’s plane crash unfolded
- On January 28, the aircraft VI-SSK established initial contact with Baramati at 08.18 am IST.
- The next call from the aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar was received “at 30 NM inbound to Baramati and they were released by Pune approach,” the release says. Because of the peculiar conditions at the Baramati airport — there is no navigational aid at this regional airstrip — the pilot was advised to descend in “Visual Meteorological conditions at pilot’s discretion”. This means the pilot has to depend on his sight to land and even avoid other aircraft.
- The crew then enquired about the winds and visibility at the Baramti airport. The ATC official informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3000 metres.
- The first attempt: The aircraft reported on the final approach of Runway 11 but the runway was “not in sight to them”. They initiated a go-around in this first approach.
- After Go Around, the ATC asked the aircraft about its position. The crew reported on final approach of runway 11.
- The ATC asked them to report whether the runway was in sight. They replied “runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight”. But a few seconds later they reported that the runway was now in sight.
- The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 11 by the authorities. The time: 08.43IST. But the aircraft crew did not give a “readback of the landing clearance”.
- What the ATC saw next was flames around the threshold of Runway 11 at 08.44 IST.
- The emergency services rushed to the crash site.
- The authorities located the wreckage of the aircraft on the left side of the runway “abeam threshold R/W 11”.
Critical Timeline: VT-SSK, Plane Learjet 45, Jan 28, 2026
8:10 AM
Takeoff: Learjet 45 departs Mumbai airport
5 aboard: Pawar, PSO Jadhav, attendant Mali, pilots Kapoor & Pathak
35-Min Flight
Aircraft tracked on Mumbai-Baramati route via Flightradar24
Flight path: Mumbai → Pune → Baramati
Source: Flightradar24
8:45 AM
Radar Loss: Aircraft disappears from tracking
Final approach loop pattern detected before crash
Final Moments
"Aircraft making noise during landing... slid off runway, big explosion"
Eyewitness account
Aircraft: VT-SSK
Bombardier Learjet 45, VSR Aviation operator
Twin-engine business jet, 6-seat capacity
Campaign Trip
Mumbai-Pune journey for 4 election rallies
Zilla Parishad polls: Feb 5 voting, Feb 7 results
Express InfoGenIE
AAIB takes over probe
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation. DG, AAIB is reaching the accident site for investigation, the release said. Further details of the same as and when available will be shared.
The AAIB is also investigating the fateful Air India accident in Ahmedabad when a London-bound plane crashed minutes after take-off. There was only one survivor in that crash, with 241 passengers dead.
Ajit Pawar plane crash news: NCP leader Ajit Pawar was on his way to Baramati to hold four political rallies ahead the upcoming Zilla Parishad polls; the mangled and burnt remains of his plane after the crash. (Express Photos by Amit Chakravarty, Arul Horizon) 
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