Mumbai : A routine political trip turned tragic on Wednesday morning, when a chartered Learjet 45 carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed near Baramati Airport in Pune district. The aircraft had taken off from Mumbai around 8 am and was attempting to land at Baramati when it lost control and crashed, triggering a massive fire and multiple explosions, eyewitnesses said.
VSR Aviation, which operated the flight, confirmed their identities. Captain Shambhavi Pathak, daughter of an Army officer, was serving as the Pilot-in-Command. She studied at Air Force Bal Bharati School and completed a BSc in Aeronautics, Aviation, and Aerospace Science and Technology from the University of Mumbai. Captain Sumit Kapoor was also serving as Pilot-in-Command and was responsible for leading the flight crew during critical phases, including take-off and landing.
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 said preliminary information suggested poor visibility may have played a role in the crash. Primarily, it appears there was no visibility. The pilot made an approach to the runway, carried out a missed approach, and then made another attempt. If a pilot cannot see the runway, he will carry out a missed approach, he said.
He was very seasoned and had worked with Sahara, Jetline, and Jet Airways. He was very experienced with this type of aircraft,” Singh said. Captain Sumit Kapoor was a very dear friend of mine. His son is also a pilot with us. Captain Shambhavi was like my child to me. Both of them were extremely good human beings and extremely good pilots. They were from Delhi,” he said.
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