Ajit Pawar’s plane crash: What we know so far

As per the DGCA, Pawar was with “2 more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendant) and 2 crew (PIC+FO) members”. They were on board a Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Aviation.

The plane was landing at Baramati airport when it crashed. The aircraft had a seating capacity of six, including the pilot.

Here is what we know so far 

1. 01

   What were the circumstances of the crash?

   The aircraft with Pawar on board flew for around 35 minutes before crashing near Baramati, according to flight tracking data.

   The jet — identified as a Learjet 45 bearing registration VT-SSK and operated by private jet charter operator VSR Aviation — took off from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at around 8:10 am and disappeared from the radar at about 8:45 am, as per the flight tracking data from Flightradar24. The flight path shows the aircraft making a loop to line up with the runway as it prepared to land at the Baramati airport, before disappearing from the flight tracker.

2. 02

   What kind of aircraft is the Learjet 45?

   The Learjet 45 is a twin-engine aircraft made by Bombardier under the Learjet brand. It was first introduced in the late 1990s and entered service in 1998. It was designed mainly for short and medium distance journeys and became popular with business leaders and politicians because it saves travel time.

   It has been widely used across the world for over two decades and is considered reliable when properly maintained. Like all aircraft, it must follow strict safety procedures during take-off and landing and is affected by weather and runway conditions.

3. 03

   Who all were aboard the aircraft?

   According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 2 more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendant) and 2 crew (PIC+FO) members were onboard the aircraft with the NCP leader.

   The names of the victims are Vidhip Jadhav (Pawar's security officer), a flight attendant identified as Pinky Mali and two crew members, Captain Sumit Kapoor and Captain Shambhavi Pathak.

4. 04

   Why was Pawar travelling to Baramati?

   Pawar was en-route from Mumbai to Pune to attend four campaign rallies for the ongoing Zilla Parishad elections. Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra will be held on February 5, with counting of votes scheduled for February 7.

5. 05

   What did the eyewitnesses say?

   Eyewitnesses said the plane made a lot of noise before coming in to land at Baramati airport.

   “The aircraft was making a lot of noise while landing so my attention went to it. It tried landing but slid off the runway and there was a big explosion just like they show in movies,” said an onlooker who owns a shop next to the airport.