The airport in Baramati, Maharashtra, where a Learjet 45 private jet crashed while carrying Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and resulted in the deaths of all five individuals on board, is described as an 'uncontrolled' airfield. The local flying schools manage the flight traffic information, as reported by the government on Wednesday afternoon. Additionally, a statement from the Civil Aviation Ministry detailed the events before the crash, including a concerning detail that the pilot 'did not give readback of landing clearance'. This means the plane failed to repeat the landing permission back to air traffic control, which is a common practice worldwide.
At 8:18 AM, the jet, which belongs to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, a Delhi airline that operates non-scheduled flights and is registered as VT-SSK, made contact with Baramati airport. The flight had just taken off from Mumbai at 8:10 AM. The distance between Mumbai and Baramati is 256 kilometers, with a flight time of under 45 minutes. The plane’s next communication came when it was 30 nautical miles, or 55.6 kilometers, from the airport. At that moment, the local air traffic controller took over communication from Pune, and Captain Shambhavi Pathak was briefed about the weather and told to land based on her judgment. According to government sources, she inquired about wind conditions and visibility, which are typical questions pilots ask air traffic control before landing. She was informed that visibility was approximately 3000 meters, or three kilometers, which aviation experts said is reasonably standard and sufficient for landing.
The aircraft then stated it was making its final descent toward Runway 11. Shortly after that, the pilot reported that the landing strip was 'not in sight' and was instructed to execute a go-around, which is standard procedure if a landing attempt is halted before the aircraft comes to a complete stop. During the go-around, the plane was again asked about its position, and the pilot communicated it was again making its final approach. Confirmation that the runway was now visible was requested and granted. The plane received clearance to land at 8:34 AM. However, a key issue arose as there was no readback of the landing clearance. By 8:43 AM, the aircraft was reported to have 'gone silent', meaning it stopped sending out ADS-B signals, which are broadcasted continuously by planes to provide their real-time location, altitude, speed, and identification to ground stations and other nearby aircraft.
The signals ceased roughly 20 kilometers away from Baramati airport, at which time the aircraft could have been slightly more than a kilometer in the air and traveling at 237 kilometers per hour. The time was exactly 8:46:02 when a large fireball and thick smoke were captured on a CCTV camera from a nearby highway a few minutes from the airport in Baramati, Maharashtra. Emergency teams quickly arrived at the scene, and the debris was located on the left side of the runway. Images from the location revealed flames and smoke along with the twisted parts of the airplane, while emergency workers and shocked local residents came together, each willing to assist. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also known as AAIB, is now in charge of the investigation. Pawar is survived by his wife Sunetra, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, along with their two sons, Parth and Jay. He leaves behind a political legacy of over thirty years, which includes the well-known division of uncle Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party in July 2023 and forming an alliance with the BJP to create the state government.
