The aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was cleared for landing in Baramati on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) morning after multiple attempts, but having finally received landing clearance, it did not give any `read-back' or response to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway.
The aircraft was trying to land amid poor visibility, Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said earlier. A statement by his Ministry recounted the final minutes of the ill-fated Learjet 45 belonging to VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd. that crashed, leading to the death of all five persons on board including Mr. Pawar.
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Baramati has an `uncontrolled airfield', and traffic information is provided by the instructors/pilots from the Flying Training Organisations at Baramati. The aircraft VI-SSK first came in contact at 8:18 a.m., as per the Baramati Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Its next call was at 30 nautical miles inbound to Baramati. It was advised to descend in "visual meteorological conditions" at the pilot's discretion. The crew enquired about the winds and visibility, and were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres.
