Ajit Pawar Death: VSR Ventures Says Aircraft Was Absolutely Fit, Low Visibility Caused Plane Crash

VK Singh, owner of VSR Aviation, whose aircraft crashed in Maharashtra’s Baramati, claiming Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s life, said that the plane was “absolutely fit”.

Singh said that there was no

visibility, and it is likely to have caused the plane crash.

“The aircraft was absolutely fit to the best of our knowledge. The DGCA is investigating the matter…Primarily, it appears there was no visibility…,” VSR Aviation’s owner said.

Ajit Pawar and four others were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred when the plane carrying Pawar (66) and others landed near Baramati. Pawar was traveling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections in the state.

Ajit Pawar’s Plane Crashed At Edge Of Baramati Tabletop Runway During Second Approach

All About VSR Ventures And Its Aircraft

M/s VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd.’s Learjet 45 aircraft, registered as VT-SSK, was involved in an air accident at Baramati while operating a flight on the Mumbai–Baramati sector. There were a total of five persons on board, including Ajit Pawar and two crew members.

The company operates a fleet of seventeen aircraft, which includes seven Learjet 45 aircraft (one of which was involved in this accident), five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft, and one Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.

The last regulatory audit of the organisation was conducted by the DGCA in February 2025, and no Level-I findings were issued. Earlier, on 14 September 2023, another Learjet 45 aircraft of the company, registered as VT-DBL, was involved in an accident during landing at Mumbai Airport. That incident is currently under investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The VT-SSK aircraft was manufactured in 2010. Its Certificate of Registration (CofR) was issued on 27 December 2022, and its Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) was issued on 16 December 2021. The Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) was issued on 10 September 2025 and is valid up to 14 September 2026. The aircraft had accumulated 4,915 hours and 48 minutes of flight time since new, along with 5,867 cycles. Since the last ARC, it had flown approximately 85 hours and 49 minutes.

The aircraft was powered by TFE731-20BR engines. The left-hand engine had logged 4,915 hours and 48 minutes with 5,965 cycles, while the right-hand engine had logged 4,526 hours and 44 minutes with 5,426 cycles.

The Pilot-in-Command was an ATPL holder with more than 15,000 hours of flying experience. His last medical examination was conducted on 19 November 2025 and was valid until 19 May 2026. His last Instrument Rating and Pilot Proficiency Check (IR/PPC) was completed on 18 August 2025.

The co-pilot was a CPL holder with approximately 1,500 hours of flying experience. His last medical examination was conducted on 12 July 2025 and was valid until 24 July 2026. His last IR/PPC was completed on 22 July 2025.