Ajit Pawar did not know it then. But a 2024 tweet he posted about air travel and safe landings is now being read with disbelief and sorrow. Hours after the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister died in a tragic plane crash, the post resurfaced on social media, leaving many shaken by its irony.
“When we travel by helicopter or plane, if our plane or helicopter lands smoothly, we understand that the pilot is a woman,” Pawar had tweeted. Two years later, that same journey in the skies ended in tragedy.
Crash during landing attempt in Baramati
Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday morning after the chartered aircraft he was travelling in crash-landed near the Baramati airport while attempting to land. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), all five people on board, including Pawar, lost their lives. The aircraft had taken off from Mumbai and was attempting a landing in Baramati at around 8.45 am when it met with the fatal accident.
Who was on board
Apart from Ajit Pawar, the aircraft was carrying:
- One Personal Security Officer (PSO)
- One attendant
- Two pilots
The pilots were identified as Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had logged nearly 16,000 flying hours, and Sambhavi Pathak.
Aircraft ‘technically fit’, says operator
VSR Aviation’s senior official VK Singh said the aircraft was well-maintained and technically sound. “The aircraft was absolutely fit to the best of our knowledge. There was no technical failure. It was very well maintained,” Singh told the media. He added that poor visibility may have been a critical factor in the crash.
“Primarily, it appears there was no visibility. The pilot made an approach, carried out a missed approach, and then attempted again. If a pilot cannot see the runway, a missed approach is standard procedure,” he explained.
Eyewitnesses recall moments of horror
Eyewitness accounts from the area paint a devastating picture of the final moments. “I saw it with my eyes. When the aircraft descended, it seemed it would crash and it did,” an eyewitness told ANI. “There was a massive explosion. The aircraft caught fire, and then there were four to five more blasts. No one could go near it.”
Another resident said the plane appeared unstable as it circled the airport before descending sharply. “It took a round in the air and then hit the ground hard. There was a loud sound, and parts of the aircraft flew into the air,” she said.
Yet another eyewitness recalled seeing flames and repeated explosions moments after impact. “It was shocking when we later learned Ajit Pawar was onboard,” he said.
Videos and images from the crash site showed dense smoke, massive flames, and wreckage scattered across a wide area. Authorities confirmed the aircraft was completely gutted by fire, leaving no chance of survival for those on board. Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati to attend a public rally ahead of the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections. Just a day earlier, he was in Mumbai, attending a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
