Thirty five minutes — that’s how long the plane ferrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others was airborne before it crashed, killing all those on board.
Now, a new video has emerged showing the Learjet 45 carrying the Maharashtra deputy chief Minister and four others tilting to its left moments before crashing near the runway at the Baramati airport on Wednesday morning (January 28).
Moreover, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has also released information that provides some insight into the sequence of events that led to Ajit Pawar’s demise.
So, what exactly happened before Ajit Pawar’s plane crashed? Here’s what we know so far.
Crucial minutes before Ajit Pawar’s plane crashed
After taking off from Mumbai at 8.10 am local time,
Ajit Pawar and four others on board the Learjet 45 plane made their way to Baramati where the deputy chief minister was expected to address events ahead of the local polls.
According to Flightradar24, the live flight tracker, after the plane, a
Learjet 45, took off it made its way east/southeast overland, cruising at an altitude of 19,000 feet. Around 8.36 am, the aircraft — piloted by
Captain Sumit Kapur and Captain Shambhavi Pathak — attempted a visual approach to runway 11 at Baramati.
As per the aviation ministry, at this point the pilots enquired about the wind and visibility conditions. The operator informed them that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres. Following this, the pilots approached the airport, but decided against landing as they did not have the runway in sight.
The pilots of the plane then carried out a go-around in order to try and land again. Flightradar24 also shows the same with the plane taking a loop and approaching Baramati airport again.
Following their loop, the plane was asked again if the runway was visible, which the pilots agreed upon. Following this, the plane was given the go-ahead to land at Baramati — this occurred at 8.43 am, but received no readback of the plane landing. As per a former Airports Authority of India official, it is standard practice to provide a readback, which acts like a confirmation to the instructions given to the pilot.
At this moment, however, the plane goes silent. What this means is that the aircraft stopped sending ADS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, signals that are continuously transmitted by aircraft to broadcast real-time position, altitude, speed, and identification to ground stations and other equipped aircraft.
A steep descent and then a fireball
A minute later, at 8.44 am, new visuals from CCTV footage shows the plane tilting and then seen losing altitude rapidly.
In the footage, the aircraft can be seen descending rapidly near a temple in Baramati before disappearing over the horizon, moments ahead of a fireball and a massive plume of smoke.
NEW FOOTAGE CAPTURES AJIT PAWAR’S PLANE CRASHING.
Visuals show the plane wasn’t on fire but just falling to the side under great speed. pic.twitter.com/Q47QchbiVc
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) January 28, 2026
Earlier, another CCTV video of the crash showed the aircraft hitting behind a small shop. Seconds later, a huge plume of smoke rose in the background.
According to one DGCA official who was quoted by Hindustan Times, the plane crashed significantly short of the runway threshold but well within the airstrip perimeter. “The last words heard from the crew were ‘oh s***’…,” said the official.
Soon locals around the Baramati runway rushed to the spot, becoming first-responders. One such local was Sadashiv Raghu, whose house was close to the Baramati airstrip.
Speaking to The Print, he said, “We know how a plane sounds when it’s landing. This did not sound like that, and before we knew it, there was a loud boom and the land beneath us shook a little.”
Kamla Kailash Atle, who was close to the airstrip also told The Print, “We were doing our morning chores when we heard the loud noise. Flames and smoke quickly took over. We ran there with water and blankets. Two bodies were lying further away from the site. It looked like they were thrown out of the plane during the crash. The fire brigade vehicle reached just five minutes after us but nothing could have saved those people.”
She added, “When we reached there we did not know Dada (Ajit Pawar) is one of these people. We were only trying to save the people. We later found out that he was in the same plane. But we could not make out who is who because the faces were all burnt.”
Visuals from the spot showed fire and smoke and the mangled remains of the plane, as emergency services personnel and horrified locals gathered, each trying to help.
A state funeral for Maharashtra’s ‘dada’
Now, as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau launches a full-fledged investigation — investigators will retrieve and analyse flight data, cockpit voice recordings, aircraft maintenance records, and airfield/weather logs — to ascertain what caused the plane to go down, a state funeral has been organised for Ajit Pawar in Baramati.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the State cabinet will be present at the funeral, being held at Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati, Pune.
Moreover, the state has announced a three-day mourning period to mark the demise of Ajit Pawar, fondly known as the ‘Dada’ of Maharashtra politics.
Pawar is survived by wife
Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha, and two sons, Parth and Jay.
With inputs from agencies
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