Accidental death report registered in fatal Baramati plane crash

Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others near Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday, officials said.

Pawar, 66, was travelling on a chartered Learjet from Mumbai to Baramati when the aircraft crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of the tabletop runway shortly before 9am. All five people on board were killed.

“We have registered an accidental death report with the Baramati taluka police station,” a senior officer from the Pune rural police confirmed. In line with procedure, the ADR will be transferred to the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which will conduct a parallel probe based on findings from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The AAIB, which operates under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has already taken charge of the technical investigation into the crash. A CID official said that when an influential public figure dies in an accident, the CID typically oversees the investigation.

“We have not yet received formal orders, but it is likely that the CID will be asked to conduct the probe into the ADR registered by the local police,” the official said.

According to officials, Pawar had departed Mumbai earlier in the morning to address four election rallies in Pune district ahead of the February 5 Zilla Parishad polls. The others killed were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had logged around 15,000 flying hours; co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, with approximately 1,500 hours of experience; Pawar’s personal security officer Vidip Jadhav; and flight attendant Pinky Mali.

The state government released a statement outlining the sequence of events leading up to the crash. The aircraft had initially carried out a go-around due to poor visibility before being cleared to land. After receiving clearance, the aircraft reportedly did not provide a read-back to air traffic control and moments later burst into flames at the edge of the runway.

Eyewitnesses described a dramatic and terrifying scene. A woman living near the airport said the aircraft appeared unstable as it circled the airfield. “It took a round, looked unsteady and, as it approached the runway, it hit the ground hard and exploded,” she told a television channel, adding that debris was flung into the air and landed near her home.

Another witness said the aircraft seemed to be losing control as it descended to about 100 feet above the runway. “We felt it was going to crash. After impact there were flames and four to five consecutive blasts, which stopped anyone from going near it,” he said, describing a major fire at the site.

Flight tracking data showed the aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and disappeared from radar at around 8.45 am. Police said there were five people on board when the crash occurred at approximately 8.50 am.

Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said a fire broke out immediately after the crash and those on board were rushed to hospital, but none survived. Investigations are continuing to determine the exact cause of the accident.

With PTI inputs