 "Ajit Pawar plane crash: Maharashtra deputy CM, 4 others die in Learjet mishap in Baramati")
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s plane crashed on Wednesday morning, resulting in his death along with a couple of others on board.
According to News18, the aircraft encountered technical trouble while landing at the Baramati airstrip. Reports suggest that Pawar was scheduled to attend several events in Baramati on Wednesday.
Videos from the accident show smoke bellowing from the crashed aircraft. Rescue operations are currently underway.
Others who died in the plane crash include two personnel, two crew members and an NCP worker. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said that none of the people on board survived the crash.
What happened?
As per the initial occurrence report, a Learjet 45 aircraft (registration VT-SSK), operated by VSR, reportedly crash-landed at Baramati airport on Tuesday. Five people, including crew members, were on board the aircraft.
VIDEO | Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district. Visuals from spot. pic.twitter.com/XZbDHMhAPa
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
According to preliminary information, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was travelling on the aircraft along with two other personnel, a personal security officer and an attendant, besides the pilot-in-command and first officer.
The other four people who died in the crash have been identified as:
Vidit Jadhav, PSO to Deputy CM
Sumit Kapoor, Pilot
Sambhavi Pathak, Pilot
Pinki Mali, Flight Assistant
Although the accident is subject to a detailed enquiry, prima facie it seems that the jet encountered an issue with the landing gear. Learjet has previously reported landing gear issues.
US’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had recently issued an urgent safety recommendation, calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to mandate immediate inspections of the main landing gear on several Learjet models.
Quick Reads
View AllPM Modi enquires about accident
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have called Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ask about the senior NCP leader’s death in the plane crash.
Paying his respects to Pawar on X, PM Modi said, “Shri Ajit Pawar Ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy.”
Shri Ajit Pawar Ji was a leader of the people, having a strong grassroots level connect. He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra. His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and… pic.twitter.com/mdgwwGzw4R
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 28, 2026
According to News18, MPs Sunetra Pawar, Supriya Sule and others have rushed to Baramati. Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and other leaders have gone to the Pawar residence in New Delhi.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on X, “Deeply shocked and pained to learn about the untimely demise of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Ajit Pawar. Throughout his long public life, he remained committed to the development and prosperity of Maharashtra.”
President Droupadi Murmu said, “The news of the death of several people, including Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra, is extremely tragic. The untimely demise of Ajit Pawar ji is an irreparable loss. He will always be remembered for his special contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially in the cooperative sector.”
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