Ajit Pawar Death: AAIB team leaves to investigate Baramati plane crash
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Ajit Pawar Death: A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has left to investigate the plane crash that occurred in Baramati, Maharashtra, on Wednesday morning. AAIB is a division of Ministry of Civil Aviation.
All five people on board the aircraft, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, died in the crash. Besides Pawar, those killed included his personal security officer, an assistant, and two crew members.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said here that the Director General of AAIB has left from Hyderabad for Baramati to lead the investigation. He was in Hyderabad to attend Wings India 2026. The bureau's team has also left from Delhi for Baramati.
The crashed aircraft was a Learjet 45 belonging to VSR Ventures, a business jet service provider. Ajit Pawar was traveling from Mumbai to Baramati where he was scheduled to attend public events in connection with the local body elections.
According to information received from Baramati ATC staff, the pilot had twice reported not being able to see the runway while attempting to land at Baramati airfield, due to which the aircraft could not land. On the third attempt, the pilot said he could see the runway and the aircraft was given permission to land at 8:43 am. At 8:44 am, the ATC saw flames at one end of runway 11.
The weather in Baramati at the time was clear with a visibility of 3,000 meters. The wind was calm.
The aircraft involved in the accident was 16 years old. It was manufactured in 2010 and was issued a certificate of registration on December 27, 2022.
The command pilot had more than 1,500 hours of flying experience. The co-pilot also had approximately 1,500 hours of flying experience. VRS Ventures' fleet includes seven Learjet 45 aircraft (including the one involved in the accident), five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft, and one Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. Previously, on September 14, 2023, one of the company's aircraft crashed at Mumbai airport, and the investigation into that incident is still ongoing. That aircraft was also Learjet 45 in which Pawar was flying.