Final moments caught on camera: Ajit Pawar’s plane tilted before crash
New CCTV footage has emerged showing the Learjet 45 carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar tilting sharply to the left moments before it crashed near the runway at Baramati airport on Wednesday morning, killing all five people on board.
The video shows the aircraft descending at high speed and rolling left close to the ground just seconds before impact.
New CCTV footage captures the final few seconds of the plane that crashed in Maharashtra, showing a sharp swerve and flip and plunge BEFORE landing, raising serious questions about the safety of the aircraft. The Same model from the same charter company VSR Ventures crashed in… pic.twitter.com/tZrWdFTlIi
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 28, 2026
Aviation experts told NDTV that such a manoeuvre is highly unusual during the final stages of landing and could indicate a technical malfunction or pilots attempting to counter sudden stress or instability in the aircraft.
The Learjet 45, owned by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd and registered as VT-SSK, took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am with Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, Captain Sumit Kapoor, First Officer Shambhavi Pathak and flight attendant Pinky Mali on board.
About 30 nautical miles from Baramati, the pilots were informed that visibility at the airport was around 3 km, which is considered safe for landing. However, during the first approach, the crew reported they could not see the runway and were instructed by air traffic control to execute a go-around.
The aircraft was cleared for landing on its second approach at around 8.34 am. Minutes later, the plane reportedly stopped transmitting signals and crashed in a fireball near the airport’s lone runway.
CCTV footage timestamped 8.44 am shows the aircraft losing altitude rapidly after the sharp left roll. All five occupants had died by the time rescue teams reached the site. Sources said Ajit Pawar was identified by the wristwatch he was wearing.
The death of the 66-year-old NCP chief, a six-time deputy chief minister, has left a major vacuum in Maharashtra politics.
It is expected to impact equations within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, as well as discussions around a possible reunion with the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, from which Ajit Pawar split in 2023.
Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be held with full state honours at 11 am on Thursday in Baramati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the funeral.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
