Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
Pawar was on board the plane carrying him and five others, including the crew, that crashed in Pune district that day.
The incident occurred when the plane carrying NCP leader Ajit Pawar (66) and others was landing in Pune’s Baramati area, officials said.
The tragedy sent shockwaves across the political scene in India. Here’s everything we know about the deadly plane crash that claimed the lives of six people on board.
Ajit Pawar’s death: What did the DGCA say?
According to initial information from the DGCA, all people on board the chartered plane, including Ajit Pawar, lost their lives in the air crash. Air traffic controllers said there were no survivors.
“Ajit Pawar, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Maharashtra, was on board along with 2 other staff (1 PSO and 1 escort) and 2 crew members (PIC+FO). As per initial information, no person on board survived the crash,” the airline regulator said.
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Ajit Pawar’s plane has landed
According to ANI, the chartered plane carrying Ajit Pawar crashed around 8:45 am in Maharashtra’s Baramati in Pune district.
The plane was on its way from Mumbai to Baramati.
Who were the passengers on board?
The DGCA also shared the list of passengers who were on board the chartered plane that crashed in Baramati, leading to the death of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajira Pawar.
- Ajit Pawar
- vidip jadhav
- Pink blood
- Sumit Kapoor
- Shambhavi Pathak
The pilot, Captain Sahil Madaan, also died in the Baramati plane crash.
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How did Ajit Pawar’s plane crash?
According to the DGCA, the plane crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Baramati. An eyewitness quoted by news agency ANI described the exact moment when the plane crashed, resulting in Ajit Pawar’s death.
“I saw it with my own eyes. It’s really painful. When the plane was going down, it looked like it was going to crash and it actually crashed. Then it exploded. There was a massive explosion. Then we rushed here and saw the plane on fire. There were 4-5 explosions again in the plane. More people came here and tried to pull people out (from the plane). I can’t describe it in words,” said the eyewitness.
A source told PTI that the plane’s pilot had mentioned poor visibility near the runway before the plane attempted to land. The plane skidded off the runway while attempting to land at the Baramati airport and burst into flames, according to a PTI report.
Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Why did Ajit Pawar travel to Baramati?
Ajit Pawar traveled to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings to campaign for the zilla Faraad elections in the state on February 5. Five people were on board when the plane crashed at 8:50 am, a police official was quoted as saying by PTI.
Details of the plane that crashed
The plane that crashed and killed Ajit Pawar is called a Learjet 45.
The Learjet 45 (LJ45), a mid-size business jet produced by the Learjet Division of Bombardier Aerospace.
The aircraft in question was operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, a private charter airline. Last contacted Pune ATC and then local ATC with local private arrangement.
