Ajit Pawar plane crash: Black-box of ill-fated aircraft recovered from accident site
Ajit Pawar was killed on Wednesday morning after the chartered Learjet crashed near the Baramati airstrip Pawar and four other persons on board the aircraft were killed after it crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of a tabletop runway at Baramati.
The black box of the ill-fated aircraft that crashed in Baramati on January 28, claiming the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, has been recovered, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Thursday. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder were also recovered from the Baramati crash site. The aircraft had crash-landed in Baramati on Wednesday morning.
Pawar (66) was killed after the chartered Learjet crashed near the Baramati airstrip, around 100 km from Pune. Two pilots, a flight attendant, and a personal security officer were also killed in the accident.
DGCA, forensic teams probe at Baramati crash site
According to the MoCA, a team of three officers from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Delhi, along with another three officers from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Mumbai Regional Office, reached the crash site on January 28. The Director General of the AAIB also arrived at the location the same day.
"The investigation is progressing expeditiously, and the black box of the ill-fated aircraft has been recovered," it said.
Following the tragic aircraft accident near Baramati, all emergency response and investigative mechanisms were activated immediately, with authorities emphasising a thorough, transparent and time-bound inquiry.
The ministry said it remains fully committed to completing the probe within a defined timeframe, strictly in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures and laid-down guidelines. The investigation has been initiated under Rules 5 and 11 of the AAIB Rules, 2025.
Accidental Death Report registered
Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) case in connection with the plane crash. "Pune Rural Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) at Baramati Taluka Police Station in connection with the air crash in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar lost his life. Further investigation initiated," a police official from Pune police said.
As per procedure, the ADR will be handed over to the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which will conduct a probe based on findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)'s inquiry.
The AAIB, which functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has already taken over the probe into the crash.
The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
The government has released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar's death. As per the government, the aircraft was cleared for landing in Baramati after a go-around due to poor visibility, but having finally received a clearance, it did not give any read-back to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames near the edge of the airstrip.
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