MUMBAI: The tragic plane crash near Baramati on Wednesday morning that killed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar claimed four other lives. The victims included the aircraft's pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, First Officer Captain Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidit Jadhav, and cabin crew member Pinki Mali.
Ajit Pawar was travelling in a small charter aircraft, a Learjet 45 bearing registration number VTSSK-LJ45, operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. The aircraft departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 8:11 a.m. on Wednesday.
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft was approximately 120 nautical miles from Mumbai and was scheduled to land at Baramati. The total weight of the aircraft was 9,752 kilograms.
The aircraft crashed near Baramati airport around 45 minutes after take-off during a landing attempt. As per initial reports, the pilots faced severe visibility issues due to dense smog covering the airport. While attempting to circle the area to locate a suitable landing point, the aircraft crashed and subsequently caught fire, killing all five people on board.
Captain Sumit Kapoor, the Pilot-in-Command (PIC), was a highly experienced aviator with nearly 16,000 hours of flying experience. Before joining VSR Aviation, he had an illustrious career with major airlines such as Sahara, Jet Airways, and Jetline. A Delhi-based pilot, Kapoor was widely regarded as a trusted and senior jet commander. His son is also a pilot with the same company.
First Officer Captain Shambhavi Pathak had approximately 1,500 hours of flying experience. She obtained her aviation licence in March 2022 and underwent A320 jet orientation training later that year. Pathak held a BSc degree from Mumbai University in aerospace science and technology and had completed a one-year certification course at the International Commercial Flight Academy in New Zealand during 2018–'19. Her father served in a senior position in the Indian military.
Cabin crew member Pinki Mali was a resident of BDD Chawl in Mumbai. Her father, Shivkumar Mali, is associated with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Pinki had reportedly promised her father that she would help arrange a meeting with Ajit Pawar after landing in Baramati, but fate had other plans.
An investigation into the crash is currently underway. Meanwhile, serious concerns have been raised regarding the aircraft manufacturer, as another aircraft from the same company was involved in a crash at Mumbai airport on October 14, 2023. In that incident, all passengers survived.
