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Moments before the fatal crash near Baramati, the pilot told ATC the runway was visible. Yet no SOS was sent, and seconds later the aircraft went down in flames, killing all five on board. What happened during those final moments is now under investigation.
No person on board survived the crash
Baramati: What went wrong in the final seconds before the aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed near Baramati, killing all five on board, remains a key question for investigators.
Officials familiar with the matter said the aircraft’s captain was in contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) moments before the crash and had indicated that the runway was visible. Despite being in contact with Air Traffic Control and reporting the runway in sight, the pilot sent no distress signal before the jet went down during a landing attempt on Wednesday.
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According to people aware of the sequence of events, the pilot spoke to ATC shortly before the crash, stating that the runway was in sight. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Baramati around 8:50 am after taking off from Mumbai at approximately 8:10 am.
Baramati airport’s ATC operations are managed alternately by two flying schools Redbird Aviation and Carver Aviation. On the day of the crash, ATC services were being handled by Carver Aviation.
Pramesh Parikh, a manager at Carver Aviation, said the airport has a 1,770-metre runway and that ATC could not visually track the aircraft during the final moments. “We could not see the aircraft landing, but we heard the crash. There may have been a visibility-related issue,” he said.
Eyewitnesses reported that the pilot attempted a “go-around”, a standard aviation procedure in which an aircraft aborts a landing and climbs again if conditions are not suitable. Aviation experts say such manoeuvres are routine and not uncommon, especially during low visibility or unstable approaches.
However, investigators are assessing whether weather conditions, visibility, or technical factors played a role in the aircraft failing to complete the manoeuvre safely.
No one survived the crash. Videos from the site showed thick smoke, flames, and scattered wreckage near the airport perimeter. Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati, his political stronghold, to attend multiple public rallies ahead of the upcoming rural local body elections.
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The Learjet 45, a mid-size business jet, was flown by Captain Sumit Kapoor and First Officer Shambavi Pathak. Pinky Mali was on board as the flight attendant. Pawar’s personal security officer, Vidhit Jadhav, was the fifth passenger.
Baramati airport was constructed in 1996 by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. It was later managed by Reliance Airport Developers, part of Anil Ambani’s group, before being handed over to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company.
Authorities have launched a detailed investigation into the crash, including flight data, communication logs and technical records, to determine why no distress call was issued before the fatal incident.
