The Learjet 45 aircraft that crashed near Baramati airport on Wednesday had previously been used to ferry senior BJP leaders, including Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Himanta Biswa Sarma, during the Bihar assembly election campaign, according to officials familiar with the aircraft’s charter history.

The business jet, registered as VT-SSK and operated by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd., was part of a charter rotation and had multiple political and campaign- movements in recent months. Sources said the aircraft was scheduled to fly to Patna later the same dayhours after its ill-fated Baramati landing attempt.

The plane crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district, resulting in the deaths of all five people on board, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has confirmed there were no survivors.

Aviation officials said flight logs and operational records of the aircraft are being examined as part of the investigation. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a formal probe into the crash, including the aircraft’s recent flight history, crew duty hours and maintenance records.

Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.