What Went Wrong on Ajit Pawar's Last Flight? Key Questions Remain Unclear

Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati. The aircraft attempted two landings at Baramati airfield. No distress call was made, and airfield lacks ATC services. Questions remain over visibility, communication lapses.

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Unanswered questions cloud Ajit Pawar's final flight to Baramati

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar died in a tragic plane crash on Wednesday morning while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati. The chartered aircraft crash-landed near the runway at Baramati airfield at around 8.45 am, killing all five people on board, including Pawar, two staff members, and two crew members.

While official investigations have begun, several key questions about Pawar’s final flight remain unanswered and continue to trouble aviation experts, political leaders, and the public.

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What happened on Ajit Pawar's last journey

Ajit Pawar had left Mumbai earlier in the morning from the city’s General Aviation terminal. He was travelling to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections. Just a day earlier, Pawar was in Mumbai attending a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Senior ministers, including Chandrashekhar Bawankule, were also present.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the chartered plane attempted to land at Baramati but crashed near the runway threshold, just short of Runway 11. All five people on board lost their lives.

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Why did the pilots attempt a second landing?

One of the biggest questions is why the pilots chose to make a second landing attempt.

DGCA officials said the crew could not visually locate Runway 11 during the first approach. As per standard flying procedures, the pilots performed a go-around, meaning they aborted the landing and repositioned the aircraft for another attempt.

However, what went wrong during the second approach remains unclear.

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No Mayday call before the crash

Another worrying detail is that no Mayday or distress call was made by the pilots before the crash.

This suggests two possibilities. Either the pilots did not sense an immediate emergency, or the situation escalated too quickly for them to issue a distress signal. Aviation experts say this raises serious questions about what the crew experienced in the final moments.

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Baramati airfield has no air traffic control

Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield, meaning it does not have a full-time Air Traffic Control (ATC) service.

At such airfields, pilots carry full responsibility for navigation, landing judgement, and safety decisions. While pilots may receive advisory inputs, the final decision to land rests entirely with the flight crew.

This makes the second landing attempt even more critical.

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Visibility conditions raise further doubts

Visibility at the time of landing was reported to be around 3,000 metres, with calm wind conditions. Pilots were advised to land under visual flight rules, using their own judgement.

However, during the second approach, the crew initially reported that the runway was not visible. Later, they reportedly said that the runway was in sight. This inconsistency has raised concerns about situational awareness in the cockpit.

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A troubling communication lapse

Another key unanswered question is related to communication.

Just before the crash, the flight crew did not give a readback after receiving landing clearance. Soon after, flames were seen near the runway area, indicating that the aircraft may have already been in trouble.

A lack of proper communication at this stage could point to confusion, distraction, or sudden loss of control.

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Was the aircraft operator flagged earlier?

DGCA audits had not raised any safety red flags against the aircraft operator.

The most recent safety audit, conducted in February 2025, found the operator compliant with regulations and reported no Level-I safety deficiencies. This has added to the mystery, as there were no known major safety warnings before the accident.

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Where the aircraft finally crashed

According to preliminary reports, the aircraft crashed just short of Runway 11, on the left side near the runway threshold. This suggests a possible misalignment during the final landing attempt.

The exact cause of this misalignment is yet to be determined.

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Who is investigating the crash

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken charge of the probe, as required under aviation safety rules for fatal accidents.

Investigators are expected to examine flight data, pilot decisions, weather inputs, and communication records to reconstruct the aircraft’s final minutes.

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Ajit Pawar’s political legacy

Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, holding the post six times under different governments. He served under chief ministers including Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.

He began his political career in 1982 and went on to become a key leader from Baramati, winning seven Assembly elections. In 2019, he split the NCP and later, in February 2024, the Election Commission awarded the party name and symbol to his faction.

He is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar and sons Jay and Parth Pawar.