A senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that the cockpit crew of the aircraft that crashed in Baramati were heard uttering “oh s***” in the final moments before the accident that killed five people, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The crash claimed the lives of 66-year-old Pawar, his personal security officer, his aide, and the two pilots — captain Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak. The Learjet 45, operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, went down around 8:45 am while attempting a second landing at Baramati’s table-top airstrip.
According to the official involved in the probe, the exclamation was captured as the crew’s last recorded words. The same source said that air traffic coordination at Baramati is handled by trainee pilots from two local academies, Redbird Aviation and Carver Aviation, which were in communication with the flight.
Investigators said the aircraft came down inside the airfield boundary but well short of the runway threshold. Authorities have since recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, commonly referred to as the black box, a fact also confirmed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau reached the site the same evening to begin a forensic examination. An initial statement from the ministry indicated that the pilots did not repeat back the final landing clearance, which is a standard safety protocol.
The aircraft, registered as VT-SSK, first contacted Baramati airport at 8:18 am. Captain Kapur had more than 15,000 flying hours, while Pathak had around 1,500. They were briefed on weather conditions and told they could proceed at their discretion. Visibility was reported at about 3,000 metres, which is generally acceptable for landing.
During the first approach to Runway 11, the pilot reported that the runway was not visible and was instructed to perform a go-around. After repositioning, the crew again lined up for final approach. Visibility was reconfirmed and landing clearance was issued at 8:43 am, but investigators noted there was no recorded readback from the cockpit.
At 8:44 am, air traffic control noticed flames near the runway threshold, indicating the crash had occurred.
Meanwhile, Pawar’s funeral is being conducted with several senior leaders in attendance, including Amit Shah and Sharad Pawar. The Maharashtra government has announced three days of state mourning in tribute to the veteran Nationalist Congress Party leader, widely known as “Dada.”
