Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crash-landed at Baramati airport on Wednesday while travelling in a Bombardier Learjet 45, according to an official
report. Pawar, a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader and a key figure in Maharashtra politics, was among five people on board. The report said the aircraft went down during landing and that all five occupants died.
The aircraft was registered as VT-SSK and operated by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd. It went down while attempting to land at Baramati. The occurrence report states that the jet crash-landed and that no one on board survived.
There were five occupants: Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer, an attendant, the pilot-in-command and the first officer. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating.
Aircraft background and technical status
The crashed jet was a Learjet 45 built in 2010. Its Certificate of Registration was issued on December 27, 2022, and its Certificate of Airworthiness on December 16, 2021. The Airworthiness Review Certificate was issued on September 10, 2025, and was valid until September 14, 2026.
The aircraft had logged 4,915 hours and 48 minutes of flight time and 5,867 cycles. It had flown 85 hours and 49 minutes since its last airworthiness review.
It was powered by Honeywell TFE731-20BR engines. The left engine had 4,915:48 hours and 5,965 cycles, while the right engine had 4,526:44 hours and 5,426 cycles.
Operator profile: VSR Ventures
VSR Ventures is a Non-Scheduled Operator holding Permit No. 07/2014. Its Air Operator Permit was first issued on April 21, 2014, last renewed on April 3, 2023, and is valid until April 20, 2028.
The company operates a fleet of 17 aircraft. This includes seven Learjet 45 jets, five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft, and one Pilatus PC-12.
The DGCA last audited the operator in February 2025. No Level-I findings were reported.
A previous VSR Learjet 45, VT-DBL, was involved in a landing accident in Mumbai on September 14, 2023. That case remains under investigation by the AAIB.
Flight crew experience
The Pilot in Command held an ATPL and had logged more than 15,000 flying hours. His last medical exam was on November 19, 2025, valid until May 19, 2026. His last IR/PPC check was on August 18, 2025.
The co-pilot held a CPL and had about 1,500 flying hours. Her last medical exam was on July 12, 2025, valid until July 24, 2026. Her last IR/PPC check was on July 22, 2025.
What happened during approach
Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield, where traffic information is shared by instructors or pilots from local flying training organisations.
The aircraft first contacted Baramati at 08:18 IST. Later, at 30 nautical miles inbound, the crew reported they had been released by Pune Approach and were advised to descend in visual meteorological conditions at their discretion. They were told winds were calm and visibility was about 3,000 metres.
On final approach to Runway 11, the crew said the runway was not in sight and carried out a go-around. During the second approach, they again reported the runway was not visible, stating, “runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight.” Moments later, they reported the runway in sight.
The aircraft was cleared to land at 08:43 IST, but no readback of the landing clearance was heard. At 08:44 IST, flames were seen near the Runway 11 threshold. The wreckage was found on the left side of the runway abeam the threshold. Emergency services responded immediately.
Investigation underway
The AAIB has taken charge of the investigation. The Director General of AAIB is travelling to the site. Authorities said further details will be shared as the investigation progresses.
