Ajit Pawar's Bombardier Learjet had crashed in 2023 as well
28 Jan 2026

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati airport on Wednesday morning.

The aircraft, a Learjet 45, was owned and operated by VSR Ventures. It took off from Mumbai at around 8:00am and lost control during a landing attempt about 45 minutes later.

The crash resulted in a fire.

Reports suggest that Pawar was on his way to attend four important public meetings ahead of local body polls when the crash happened

Pawar's scheduled meetings and VSR Ventures's background
Meeting plans

VSR Aviation is known for providing charter flights for business professionals and medevac operations.

The company claims to offer 24/7 services from New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bhopal.

It has over 15 years of experience with a pool of over 60 pilots and a customer satisfaction rate of 99%.

However, this isn't the first time a Learjet operated by VSR has been involved in an accident.

September 2023 crash details
Crash report

On September 14, 2023, a similar aircraft operated by VSR Ventures had skidded off the runway at Mumbai's airport due to heavy rain and poor visibility.

The crash involved a Learjet 45XR, which was also owned and operated by VSR Ventures.

The aircraft was on a non-scheduled passenger flight from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai with six passengers on board.

A Ministry of Civil Aviation report stated that the aircraft "took off normally from Visakhapatnam and the flight en route was uneventful."

Crash landing and aftermath at Mumbai airport
Crash aftermath

The aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 27 but drifted off course toward Apron C.

After the autopilot was disengaged, a stick shaker and stall warning sounded in the cockpit.

The plane crash-landed near taxiways W and N, breaking into two sections.

A fire broke out after the crash but all eight occupants were evacuated safely.

What Ministry of Civil Aviation said then
Occupants

At the time, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said, "The aircraft established contact with Mumbai tower and was instructed to prepare for landing. The aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 27 and was given landing clearance at 113109 UTC."

"At the time of landing, Mumbai Airport was experiencing heavy rains and reduced visibility. The winds reported to the crew at the time of landing clearance was 'WIND 140 DEGREES 7 KTS RWY27'."