Incident Overview
The aircraft, registration VT-SSK and operated by VSR Aviation, departed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai for Baramati, where Pawar was scheduled to attend public meetings ahead of Zilla Parishad elections. It crashed around 8:48-9:12 AM IST while attempting a second approach to runway 11, veering off, bursting into flames, and resulting in the total destruction of the plane.Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane descend abnormally before a massive explosion, with thick smoke and scattered wreckage. CCTV footage captured the moment it turned into a fireball on final approach.
Victims
All five on board perished:
- Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s 8th Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader.
- Vidip Jadhav, Pawar’s Personal Security Officer (PSO) from Mumbai, survived by elderly parents and two young children.
- Pinky Mali, flight attendant who had spoken to her father the previous day about the trip.
- Captain Sumit Kapur, pilot-in-command with over 16,500 flying hours.
- Shambhavi Pathak, co-pilot trained in New Zealand.
Possible Causes
Preliminary reports cite poor visibility at the time, though some sources note 3,000–3,500 meters of clear conditions. VSR Aviation owner VK Singh attributed it primarily to low visibility rather than technical failure.Investigators are examining the final 26 minutes of flight, including the failed first landing attempt, potential midair issues, crew disorientation, and cockpit-ground communications; black box recovery is underway. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are leading the probe, with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu promising transparency.
Aftermath and Response
- Political tributes: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis declared three days of state mourning, calling it an “immeasurable loss”; PM Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah, and Sanjay Raut expressed condolences.
- Family and public: NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar arrived at Baramati’s Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Medical College, where remains are kept; Uddhav Thackeray also traveled to pay respects.
- Baramati Airport features a single 5,500 x 100 ft runway (11-29). VSR Aviation had a prior crash-landing incident in 2023 with no fatalities.
