In the fatal aviation disaster near Baramati Airport earlier today, four other lives were lost along with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. All five people aboard a Mumbai-Baramati charter plane, the Learjet 45 aircraft (registration VT-SSK) operated by VSR Ventures, died when it crash-landed in Baramati. The plane had taken off from Mumbai at 8:10 am and was scheduled to land at 8:50 am.
The mortal remains of all five deceased have been kept at Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Medical College in Baramati.
Besides Ajit Pawar, the four others who have died in the plane crash included a personal security officer (PSO), an attendant, and two crew members: a Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and a Second-in-Command (SIC).
Read More: https://t.co/wB8bFCUZ5X #AjitPawar #AjitPawarDeath… pic.twitter.com/dbMSUTmFYb
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) January 28, 2026
From PSO to pilots: Four lives lost alongside Ajit Pawar
Besides Ajit Pawar, the four others who have died in the plane crash included a personal security officer (PSO), an attendant, and two crew members: a Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and a Second-in-Command (SIC).
The deceased have been identified as Vidip Jadhav (male), Pinky Mali (female). Additionally, the pilots were PIC Sumit Kapur and SIC Shambhavi Pathak, according to the passenger list.
- Vidip Dilip Jadhav, the personal security officer (PSO) of Ajit Pawar, was also onboard the charter plane that crash-landed in Baramati.
#WATCH | Thane, Maharashtra: Visuals from outside the residence of Vidip Dilip Jadhav, the personal security officer (PSO) of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who was also onboard the ill-fated charter plane that crash landed in Baramati.
All five people onboard the aircraft died in the… pic.twitter.com/iqLTBzP2nN
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2026
- Pinki Mali, a member of the crew on the charter plane, was a 29-year-old flight attendant who lived in Worli, Mumbai. Her father, Shiv Kumar Mali, is a taxi driver in the city. While expressing his grief over the demise of his daughter, her father Shivkumar Mali recalled that she had called him yesterday to tell me that she would be going to Baramati with Ajit Pawar, and from there she had to go to Nanded. He further said that Pinki had been continuously with Ajit Pawar on four past trips as well.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Flight attendant Pinky Mali’s father Shivkumar Mali says, “I have lost my daughter. I don’t know what has happened as I have no technical knowledge about that. I just want to get my daughter’s body so that I can perform her last rites. That is all I wish… pic.twitter.com/D6ils82ncs
— IANS (@ians_india) January 28, 2026
- Captain Sumit Kapur was the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) of the ill-fated flight. He was the senior-most crew member on the crashed charter plane.
- Shambhavi Pathak, the co-pilot on the aircraft, was a trained commercial aviator.
Probe initiated
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated an investigation into the crash. The team has left for Baramati from Delhi to inspect and would start a technical probe to examine the circumstances that led to the crash landing.
Also, the Director General of the bureau is travelling to the crash site to oversee the collection of evidence.