The aircraft in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar tragically died on Wednesday, January 28, morning had previously been involved in a crash in 2023. On the recent fatal flight, NCP chief Ajit Pawar and four others, including a pilot and a crew member, were killed when the Learjet 45, operated by VSR Ventures, lost control while attempting to land at Baramati airport. The plane caught fire after the crash, with ground visuals showing mangled remains.
The aircraft had taken off from Mumbai around 8 AM and crashed near Baramati about 45 minutes later. The small business jet, a Learjet 45, was under the command of a licensed pilot, with a co-pilot holding a Commercial Pilot Licence. All five people on board, including Ajit Pawar and his security personnel, died in the crash.
This was not the first incident involving the aircraft. On September 14, 2023, a Learjet 45XR owned and operated by VSR Ventures had crashed while landing at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport amid heavy rain and poor visibility. That flight, a non-scheduled passenger operation from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai, carried six passengers and experienced severe weather during landing.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation report on the 2023 incident, the aircraft “took off normally from Visakhapatnam and the flight en route was uneventful.” However, upon approaching Mumbai, the plane faced heavy rains and reduced visibility. The report noted that the aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 27 at 113109 UTC, with winds at 140 degrees at 7 knots.
