The aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was cleared for landing at Baramati on Wednesday morning after multiple attempts, but moments after receiving clearance, it failed to respond to air traffic control and burst into flames near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said the aircraft was attempting to land amid poor visibility. In a detailed statement, the ministry reconstructed the final minutes of the ill-fated Learjet 45 owned by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd.
Baramati operates as an uncontrolled airfield, where traffic information is coordinated by instructors and pilots from local flying training organisations rather than a full-fledged ATC tower.
According to officials, the aircraft, registered as VI-SSK, first established contact with Baramati ATC at 8.18 am. The next communication came when the jet was 30 nautical miles inbound to the airfield.
At that point, the crew was advised to descend under “visual meteorological conditions” at the pilot’s discretion.
The pilots sought details on wind speed and visibility. ATC informed them that winds were calm and visibility stood at approximately 3,000 metres.
As the aircraft approached Runway 11, the crew reported difficulty in visual contact.
“Next the aircraft reported on the final approach of Runway 11 and the runway was not in sight to them. They initiated a go-around in the first approach,” the civil aviation ministry statement said.
After aborting the first landing attempt, the crew was again asked whether the runway was visible.
Their response was: “Runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight.”
Seconds later, the pilots reported that the runway had come into view.
The aircraft was subsequently cleared to land on Runway 11 at 8.43 am.
However, officials said the crew did not acknowledge the clearance.
“They did not give a read-back of the landing clearance,” the statement noted.
Within a minute, tragedy struck.
“At 0844 IST, the ATC observed flames around the threshold of Runway 11,” the ministry said.
Emergency services rushed to the crash site immediately, but the aircraft had already been engulfed in fire, leaving no survivors.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, including the loss of communication moments after landing clearance and the role of weather conditions during the final approach.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation. DG, AAIB is reaching the accident site for investigation, the statement said.
The aircraft carrier was a Non-Scheduled Operator (NSOP) with Permit No 07/2014.
Its fleet included seven Learjet 45 aircraft (including the one involved in the crash), five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft and one Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.
The last regulatory audit of the aircraft carrying Pawar was carried out by DGCA in February 2025, and "no level-I findings were issued", the statement said.
The aircraft was manufactured in 2010. The C of A (certificate of airworthiness) was issued on December 16, 2021. The Cof R (Certificate of Registration) was issued on December 27, 2022. The ARC (airworthiness review certificate) was issued on September 10, 2025, and was valid until September 14, 2026.
