Overview
- The DGCA confirmed all five aboard a Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) operated by VSR were killed when the jet went off the side of the Baramati runway during landing.
- The dead were identified as Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, pilots Sumit Kapur and Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
- Officials detailed a sequence that included an initial go-around, a later report of ‘runway in sight,’ landing clearance without the required readback, and flames observed near the runway threshold shortly after.
- AAIB and DGCA teams have recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, with technical analysis underway to determine why the crew struggled to maintain visual contact.
- Maharashtra observed three days of state mourning, and thousands attended Pawar’s funeral in Baramati with full state honours as political leaders across parties paid respects.