Five Dead in Baramati Plane Crash, Probe Underway

A serious aircraft accident in Baramati, Maharashtra, on Wednesday morning resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including Nationalist Congress Party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched an investigation into the crash. The Bombardier Learjet-45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures Private Limited, was en route from Mumbai and crashed while attempting to land at Baramati Airport. AAIB Director General visited the crash site and inspected the wreckage. AAIB officials also visited the VSR Aviation office in Delhi, where they encountered difficulties with employee availability and access to company premises. The civil aviation ministry stated that Baramati Airport is an uncontrolled airstrip and visibility was approximately 3,000 meters during the landing attempt. The aircraft made a go-around on its first approach due to not spotting the runway and then attempted a second landing. Moments after receiving landing clearance for the second attempt, Air Traffic Control observed fire near the aircraft's threshold. Emergency services responded promptly. The deceased include Ajit Pawar, his PSO Vidip Jadhav, flight attendant Pinky Mali, co-pilot Sambhavi Pathak, and pilot-in-command Sumit Kapoor. DGCA confirmed no major lapses were found in previous inspections of the company.