Following the charter plane crash in Baramati in which five people, including deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, died, a case of accidental death (AD) was registered with the Pune Rural Police. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state of Maharashtra is likely to carry out the investigation. Meanwhile, the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken over the investigation. investigation into the accident.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation reported that on Wednesday a Learjet 45 aircraft, with registration VT-SSK, operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, suffered an air accident in Baramati while on a flight to the sector. Bombay to Baramati. “There were five people on board, including two crew members. Among the passengers was Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. All occupants of the plane suffered fatal injuries,” the ministry said.
The aircraft crashed in end of the track from Baramati airport between 8.45am and 8.50am.
“After receiving information about the accident, several teams from Baramati and nearby police stations were rushed to the spot. The accident had caused a huge fire in the wreckage of the plane. Firefighters and other emergency response agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force, were informed about the accident. An hour after the accident, the spot was secured with electrical tape. Initially, some locals tried to put out the fire, but it was too intense. When firefighters reached the spot, they started spraying water and the fire was extinguished. controlled”. said a senior officer Pune Rural police.
Critical timeline: VT-SSK, Learjet 45 aircraft, January 28, 2026
Take off: Learjet 45 leaves Mumbai airport
5 on board: Pawar, PSO Jadhav, assistant Mali, pilots Kapoor and Pathak
Plane tracked on Mumbai-Baramati route via Flightradar24
Flight route: Mumbai → Pune → Baramati
Source: Flightradar24
Radar loss: The aircraft disappears from tracking
Final approach loop pattern detected before accident
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Bombardier Learjet 45, VSR aviation operator
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Officials said that by the time the NDRF and other emergency response teams reached the spot, locals had removed the bodies of the deceased and they were sent to the hospital. A team from the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory reached the spot and secured the accident site.
A senior officer of the Maharashtra Police said, “As per the procedure in case of any accident, a case of accidental death (AD) has been registered at Baramati police station under the Pune Rural Police. We need to understand that this is just an incident report. And since the death is of a high-ranking public servant, the Maharashtra CID is likely to carry out this investigation. The government will issue an official order in this regard. It is necessary to clarify that the police will not carry out the investigation into the accident, that It is the exclusive domain of the AAIB. The police will prepare a full report of the known facts and prepare an investigation report. The findings of the AAIB investigation will be included in the police report.
Senior officers of the Maharashtra Police, including Director General of Police Sadanand Date, reached Baramati early in the afternoon. Thousands of people from across Pune and Maharashtra started arriving at Baramati in the afternoon. The Pune Rural Police deployed a large force on the ground, including members from neighboring districts and national guard personnel, among others.
Speaking about the AAIB investigation, a former Civil Aviation Ministry official said: “Immediately upon receipt of notification of an occurrence, the AAIB appoints investigators to arrive at the site and collect evidence. The primary objective of the initial investigation is to collect and preserve perishable evidence, for later analysis, which may be lost over time and become unavailable to investigators after a delay. The steps of the investigation include mapping the impact terrain, analysis of the wreckage, photography and videography, collection of recorded data from on-board system equipment, collection of data from ATC and radar stations and metrological records and obtaining samples from the site. “Based on the analysis of the evidence, a report is prepared.”
