Ajit Pawar crash | Pilot sent no SOS but was making second landing bid: Reports
The chartered Learjet 45 reportedly crashed 100 feet short of runway during a second landing attempt; pilot sent no SOS but reportedly said runway was visible
The crash of the chartered plane that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on Wednesday (January 28) is somewhat shrouded in mystery.
The captain did not send any SOS or distress signal to Air Traffic Control (ATC), spoke to them about the Baramati runway being visible, and yet the plane crashed about 100 feet short of it, according to media reports.
Baramati airport was reportedly shrouded in a dense fog and visibility was low.
Second landing attempt and crash
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane was attempting a second landing in Baramati when it crashed and went up in flames.
NDTV quoted a witness as saying that the aircraft had seemed headed for a crash from the way it descended. The witness added that it exploded and burst into a massive ball of fire, followed by four or five more explosions.
Also read: Ajit Pawar plane crash: Mamata hints at conspiracy, calls for SC-monitored probe
According to the witness, locals ran to the crash site hoping to pull any survivors out, but they could not because of the huge fire.
Besides Pawar, the plane was carrying his personal security officer, Vidhit Jadhav. Captain Sumit Kapoor and first officer Shambhavi Pathak were flying the Learjet 45, while Pinky Mali was the flight attendant. None of them survived.
Captain reportedly said runway was visible
The aircraft was reportedly operated by VSR Ventures, a private company. It took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am, and crashed around 8.45 am. Photos and videos showed the plane’s scattered and charred wreckage or some of it still partially on fire.
Also read: Ajit Pawar obituary: A perpetual CM-in-waiting, a leader Maharashtra loved to fear
Hindustan Times quoted a manager of Carver Aviation, one of the two flying schools that operated the Baramati ATC alternately, as saying that the captain told them the runway was visible moments before the crash. He said Baramati has a 1,770-metre runway and speculated that there might have been a visibility issue because of the fog.
Pawar was scheduled to address four election rallies in Baramati, his hometown 250 km from Mumbai, ahead of the local body polls.