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Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar, 4 others die in plane crash in Baramati
The Learjet 45 aircraft, officials said, had Pawar along with a personal security officer (PSO) and an attendant and two crew members, including the pilot-in-command and the first officer
A plane carrying Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar crashed on Wednesday morning while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Maharashtra and burst into flames, the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to his hometown Baramati when the plane went down near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board.
The Learjet 45 aircraft, officials said, had Pawar along with a personal security officer (PSO) and an attendant and two crew members, including the pilot-in-command and the first officer.
Besides Ajit Pawar, his security staff Vidhit Jadhav, two pilots Sumit Kapur and Shambhavi Pathak, and one person Pinki Jadhav died in the plane crash.
The aircraft, registered as VT SSK, was operating a flight from Mumbai to Baramati when it crash-landed near the threshold of runway 11 at 8:48am, according to initial information shared by airport officials.
“The aircraft crashed at the threshold of runway 11 at 0848 IST and burst into flames. There are no survivors,” a Mumbai airport official said, requesting anonymity.
The Learjet 45 was operated by VSR, a Delhi-based operator.
Also Read:Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra deputy CM, dies in Baramati plane crash
An airport official from Baramati confirmed that the aircraft crash landed at the runway threshold and caught fire immediately after impact.
“The aircraft burst into flames following the crash landing. No person on board has survived,” the official said.
“A team of DGCA officials from Delhi have left to reach the accident spot,” a civil aviation ministry official said.
Eye witnesses said that the plane was unstable towards the approach and was already in flames before crash landing, however no officials have confirmed this.
