Remains of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's plane that crashed during landing, near Baramati in Pune district, Maharashtra (Source: PTI)
Mumbai: The Bombardier Learjet 45XR aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others was reportedly attempting a second landing at the Baramati Airport when it crashed on Wednesday, January 28, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.
The ministry released a statement detailing the sequence of the last moments before the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader’s death.
The plane, owned by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, a Delhi-based non-scheduled air transport operator, left Mumbai at 8:10 am. At 8:18 am, the plane confirmed its contact with Baramati Airport’s Air Traffic Control (ATC).
With a distance of 256 km, the flying time between Mumbai and Baramati is less than an hour.
The aircraft contacted the ATC when it was 30 nautical miles away from Baramati and heading towards it. Till that point, Pune Approach Control had cleared the aircraft from its radar-controlled service. The pilots were then advised to continue landing on their own, since weather conditions were good for flying.
During the final approach on Runway 11, the pilots reported that the runway was not in sight and initiated a go-around. Since their attempted landing was disrupted, they instead climbed back up instead of touching down.
After the go-around, when asked about the aircraft’s position, the pilots again reported that they were on the final approach to Runway 11.
Again, the aircraft was asked to report visibility. They replied, “Runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight.”
Seconds later, they reported the landing was visible.
At around 8:43 am, the ATC cleared the aircraft to land, but the pilots did not repeat or acknowledge that clearance over the radio, going silent. Readbacks are a standard safety procedure to verbally confirm receiving a landing clearance or other communications.
The signals reportedly stopped around 20 km from the Baramati airport, when the plane could have been just one kilometer above ground and flying at 237 km per hour.
At 8:44, the ATC saw flames around Runway 11 with massive plumes of smoke caught on nearby closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage showing the scale of the crash.
Emergency services were promptly deployed at the crash site and wreckage was found on the runway’s left side.
Visuals from the site show the wreckage of the plane engulfed in flames. There were people at the wreckage site trying to extend help in every possible way. The locals had rushed to the spot on seeing the aircraft crash-land.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation, with officials reaching the accident site for investigation, the ministry said. Further details will be shared when available, they added.
This post was last modified on January 28, 2026 4:13 pm