New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on the morning of January 28, 2026. The accident occurred while the plane was landing at Pune’s Baramati Airport, as Pawar was going there from Mumbai to campaign for the Zilla Parishad elections. He was travelling in a special plane that crashed due to a sudden technical failure. The incident has shocked the political arena of the country.
CCTV footage shows moment of accident
A new CCTV video of the plane crash has surfaced. The footage shows the aircraft rapidly descending near a temple in Baramati before disappearing over the horizon just ahead of the crash. Just some seconds later, one can see a fireball and a massive plume of smoke. The plane flipped after the pilot lost control and hit the ground. Another CCTV video emerged earlier showing the aircraft hitting behind a small shop and then turning into a fireball.
महाराष्ट्र के उपमुख्यमंत्री Ajit Pawar विमान हादसे का CCTV फुटेज सामने आया है।
CCTV footage of the plane accident involving Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has surfaced.#AjitPawarPlaneCrash #PlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/pRYiy2B0oE
— Badri Prasad Yadav 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@bpyadav87) January 28, 2026
Pawar recognised by his wristwatch
The Learjet 45 aircraft, owned by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, took off from Mumbai with Pawar, his Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav, Captain Sumit Kapoor, First Officer Shambhavi Pathak and flight attendant Pinky Mali at 8.10 am. As the aircraft began to land at the Baramati Airport, the pilots said the landing strip was not visible.
At around 8:34 am, it approached the runway again for landing, and that is when the crash reportedly happened. The aircraft’s black box, including the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, is yet to be analysed. Everyone died in the accident, and rescuers recognised Pawar by his wristwatch.
Aircraft crashed during second attempt
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, Pawar’s aircraft crashed while trying a second approach to the Baramati Airport, which has a tabletop runway. The small Baramati airstrip reportedly lacks ILS (Instrument Landing System) facilities, forcing the pilot to try for a manual and visual landing. The aircraft approached the runway by making a large turn. It crashed during the landing near the tabletop runway’s edge.