Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five others on board were killed after a private charter plane crashed in Baramati district on Wednesday morning, January 28. Emergency response teams rushed to the crash site. According to DGCA, Ajit Pawar, Deputy CM of Maharashtra, was onboard along with two more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendant) and two crew (PIC+FO) members. As per initial information, no person on board has survived the crash.
According to the information, the aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by VSR Ventures, reportedly came down during its approach to the runway. Authorities have confirmed that there were no survivors among the five people on board.
The twin-engine business jet, registered as VT-SSK, was carrying Deputy CM Pawar, a Personal Security Officer (PSO), and a personal attendant. The flight crew consisted of a Pilot-in-Command and a First Officer. Initial reports indicate the aircraft suffered a significant loss of altitude before crash-landing within the airport perimeter.
The crash occurred while the plane carrying the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra was landing in Baramati after taking off from Mumbai. Ajit Pawar had a scheduled visit on Wednesday, during which he was to attend rallies for the 2026 Zilla Parishad elections, which is why he had travelled there. The programme was planned to run from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
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The exact cause of the plane crash is not yet clear. A high-level inquiry is likely to be conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to determine whether it was due to a technical fault or another reason.