Published Jan 28, 2026 | 10:38 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 28, 2026 | 3:58 PM
The plane crashed at the threshold of runway 11 while attempting to land and immediately burst into flames, killing all 5 aboard. Inset, Ajit Pawar.
Synopsis: The VSR Aviation-operated Learjet 45, VT-SSK, crashed and immediately burst into flames at the threshold of runway 11 at Baramati airport at 8.48 am. No one on board the mid-size business jet aircraft survived.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar was among five — including two crew members — killed after a chartered jet crashed in Baramati, some 90 km from Pune, on Wednesday, 28 January.
The VSR Aviation-operated Learjet 45, registered as VT-SSK, from Mumbai, crashed while attempting to land and burst into flames on impact at the threshold of runway 11 at Baramati airport at 8.46 am.
Ajit Anantrao Pawar (22 July 1959 – 28 January 2026)
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that no one on board survived the crash.
The accident occurred when Pawar, 66, was arriving in his hometown, Baramati, to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad polls.
Besides Pawar, his staff members Vidip Jadhav and Pinky Mali, and crew, Captain Sumit Kapur and Captain Sambhavi Pathak were on the plane.
Learjet by Bombardier had earlier reported issues with their landing gears.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had recently issued an urgent safety recommendation, calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to mandate immediate inspections of the main landing gear on several Learjet models.
The DGCA has initiated an inquiry into the crash. The probe will look into the black box for aircraft health, cockpit voice recorder, last communication (Mayday call), wreckage distribution, topography and weather.
It is reported that the small airstrip at Baramati lacked ILS (Instrument Landing System) facilities, prompting pilots to go for visual and manual landings.
According to reports, the fateful aircraft did not approach the runway directly but made a large turn, indicating that the pilot had aborted the first landing attempt. The pilot issued a Mayday call during the second landing approach, and the plane hit the land short of the runway, and burst into flames.
In 1991, Ajit Pawar initially entered the Lok Sabha from the Baramati Parliamentary constituency. Later, he relinquished the seat to his uncle, Sharad Pawar.
The Baramati Assembly constituency has been won by him seven times. After winning a by-election in 1991, he went on to win in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014.
He also served in the state cabinets of Chief Ministers Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.
