Ajit Pawar Dies In Plane Crash: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others tragically lost their lives when the aircraft they were travelling in crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials confirmed. The Learjet 46, operated by the Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed at Baramati airport. The five people on board included the Deputy Chief Minister, his personal security officer, an attendant, and two crew members, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
This tragic incident comes just 18 months after Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a narrow escape in July 2024, when their helicopter got lost due to poor visibility.
At the time, as their helicopter ascended above Nagpur, Ajit Pawar remained unfazed by the clouds, but the one-hour journey was anything but smooth.
Pawar was travelling with Devendra Fadnavis and then-State Industries Minister Uday Samant on their way to Gadchiroli for the launch of a steel project. During the flight, they encountered thick monsoon clouds, and the helicopter veered off course due to limited visibility, leaving those on board anxious.
As reported by NDTV, Fadnavis remained calm, drawing on his experience from surviving six aviation incidents. He reassured Pawar while the pilot expertly navigated through the clouds, corrected their flight path, and made a safe landing in Gadchiroli.
Pawar later recounted the experience with a sense of relief, saying, “Uday Samant told me to watch out for the landing site. I was relieved when I spotted it from the window.”
In a cruel twist of fate, just 18 months after that close escape, Ajit Pawar met a tragic end in a plane crash this morning. This time, the Learjet 45XR he was travelling in, along with four others, lost control while attempting to land. Emergency services were immediately dispatched to the scene, where flames and thick smoke were seen rising from the wreckage.
Chief Minister Fadnavis, deeply shocked by his colleague's untimely death, expressed disbelief, saying, "I have lost a good friend. His death has created a void that will never be filled. After working so closely together, it’s hard to believe he is no longer with us."
According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8:10 am and it disappeared from radar around 8:45 am. The aircraft crashed at 8:50 am, a police official said. Pawar, aged 66, was travelling to Baramati from Mumbai to attend public meetings as part of the campaign for the upcoming zilla parishad elections on February 5.
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An official stated that a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) would be dispatched to the crash site to investigate the cause of the accident. The victims include two crew members, he added.
The Maharashtra government has declared three days of state mourning, lasting until January 30. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings across the state.