Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed when it crashed near Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday after the jet had been given a go-around because of poor visibility.

Pawar had taken off from Mumbai at 8.10am and the aircraft — a Bombardier Learjet 45 operated by the Delhi-based VSR Ventures— disappeared from the radar around 8.43am, according to data from the Flightradar website. The plane crashed at 8.44am and went up in a ball of smoke, police said.

Pawar’s death adds to the list of politicians to have died in air tragedies, with former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani having been killed in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last year. Pawar is the third major politician from Maharashtra to die of unnatural causes in the last two decades. Pramod Mahajan died of gunshot injuries in Mumbai in 2006 and Gopinath Munde was killed in a traffic collision in 2014. (See Page 4)

The NCP leader was travelling to Baramati, the Pawar family’s home turf, to address four rallies in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections.

Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar arrives to present the State Budget 2024-25 in the Assembly, at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 PTI

The aircraft was trying to land amid poor visibility, civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu told reporters in Pune.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken up the probe into the crash.

Aviation watchdog DGCA said there were five persons on board — pilot Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.

The government released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar’s death.

The aircraft was cleared for landing in Baramati on Wednesday morning after a go-around because of poor visibility. However, after having finally received a clearance, the crew did not give any readback to the air traffic control (ATC) and moments later the plane burst into flames on the edge of the runway.

The wreckage of the Learjet 45 near Baramati airport in Pune on Wednesday. Reuters

Baramati has an “uncontrolled airfield”, and traffic information is provided by instructors/ pilots from flying training organisations. An uncontrolled airfield does not have an air traffic tower and lacks a proper instrument-landing system to guide aircraft during low visibility.

In aviation parlance, a go-around is a standard procedure where a pilot discontinues a landing attempt and initiates a climb to fly another approach. It is used when a landing cannot be completed safely due to factors like poor weather, an unstable approach, or traffic on the runway. It is a proactive safety measure rather than an emergency.

A readback is a crucial safety procedure where a pilot repeats back the essential parts of a message or instruction received from the ATC. It acts as a “closed-loop” communication system, ensuring that the controller’s instructions are heard and understood correctly by the flight crew.

Superintendent of police Sandip Singh Gill said there was a fire after the crash. “The people onboard were immediately taken to the hospital,” he said.

Pawar is survived by wife Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha, and two sons, Parth and Jay.

According to an eyewitness, the aircraft appeared “a bit unstable in the air” and exploded the moment it crashed.

Another eyewitness also said the aircraft burst into flames after the crash.

The Maharashtra government has declared a three-day state mourning till January 30, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings.

Pawar’s last rites will be held with full state honours on Thursday in Baramati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the funeral, which will be held at the Vidya Pratishthan ground at 11am, the NCP said.

Sharad Pawar, Ajit’s uncle who heads his faction of the NCP, visited Baramati airport and also the medical college where his nephew’s body was taken from the crash site.

“How did it happen?” a composed Sharad asked after landing in Baramati. Sharad, 85, and his wife Pratibha flew to their hometown in a helicopter from Mumbai after hearing the news.

Sharad’s daughter Supriya Sule, the Lok Sabha member from Baramati, appeared inconsolable over her cousin’s demise.