Hours after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash, the Ministry of Civil Aviation released the sequence of events that occurred during the crash.
The Learjet 45 aircraft, with registration VT-SSK, crashed while attempting to land at the Baramati airstrip. Both pilots, Captain Sumit Kapur and Captain Shambhavi Pathak, had a flying experience of more than 15,000 hours each.
“Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield and traffic information is provided by the instructors/Pilot from the Flying training Organisations at Baramati,” the ministry said in a statement.
The person manning the ATC at the time of the incident narrated the sequence of events as follows.
On 28 January 2026, the aircraft VT-SSK first came into contact with Baramati at 08:18 IST. The aircraft’s next call was at 30 NM inbound to Baramati, after which it was released by Pune Approach. The crew were advised to descend in Visual Meteorological Conditions at the pilot’s discretion.
The crew enquired about the wind and visibility and were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres.
The aircraft next reported on final approach to Runway 11, stating that the runway was not in sight. The crew initiated a go-around on the first approach.
After the go-around, the aircraft was asked about its position, and the crew reported being on final approach to Runway 11.
They were asked to report when the runway was in sight. They replied, “runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight”. After a few seconds, they reported that the runway was in sight.
The aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 11 at 08:43 IST; however, no readback of the landing clearance was received.
At 08:44 IST, ATC observed flames near the threshold of Runway 11. Emergency services immediately rushed to the crash site.
The wreckage of the aircraft is located on the left side of the runway, abeam the threshold of Runway 11.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau Takes Over Probe
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation. Meanwhile, the DG, AAIB, is reaching the accident site for a detailed investigation.
