The flight was granted authorisation to land on Runway 11 at 8:43 am; however, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance. At 8:44 am, ground controllers saw flames erupting near the threshold of the runway.
The tragic loss of five lives, including that of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, in the charter plane crash near Baramati Airport earlier on Wednesday, has raised countless questions over the circumstances that led to the fatal aviation disaster.
While investigations have been initiated and would take some time to reveal the cause of the accident, an exhaustive formal report has been issued by the Central government, giving a quick rundown on the sequence of events that took place just moments before the crash that claimed five lives.
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According to the details provided by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the charter plane was a Learjet 45 aircraft (registered as VT-SSK) managed by the operator VSR Ventures.
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Sequence of events before the crash:
On 28th January 2026, the Learjet first initiated contact with the Baramati station at 08:18 am.
The aircraft's next call was when the plane was positioned at 30 nautical miles (NM) inbound to Baramati, and they were released by Pune approach control.
The pilots were advised to begin landing considering Visual Meteorological Conditions, leaving the specific timing to the professional discretion of the crew.
The crew enquired about the winds and visibility, and they were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3000 mts.
Next, the aircraft reported on the final approach of Runway 11, and the runway was not in sight to them. Subsequently, a go-around was initiated by them in the first approach.
After a go-around, the aircraft was asked about its position, and the crew reported on the final approach of Runway 11.
They were asked to report runway in sight. They replied, “Runway 11 is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight.” After a few seconds, they reported that the runway is in sight.
The flight was granted authorisation to touch down on Runway 11 at exactly 8:43 am; however, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance.
A long silence followed as Air Traffic Control personnel failed to receive any verbal acknowledgement or readback from the cockpit crew after the landing clearance was transmitted.
The situation turned appalling just a minute later at 8:44 am when ground controllers witnessed a sudden burst of flames erupting near the threshold of the runway.
The emergency response teams then rushed to the crash site.
The wreckage of the aircraft has been found on the left side of the runway, positioned directly abeam the threshold of Runway 11.
| Shocking CCTV footage shows Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s plane crashing near Baramati. The aircraft, identified as Learjet 45 used for VIP travel, went down at 8:45 am, about an hour after leaving Mumbai, killing him and five others.#CCTV #AjitPawarDeath… pic.twitter.com/tR2fS1Bglu
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) January 28, 2026
After the plane crash, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, told reporters that the DGCA and AAIB have been alerted, and their officers have been asked to start investigations into the incident. He also said that the local police have been informed to secure the site, so that the necessary conditions for the investigation are maintained.
Following the government’s orders, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau started the probe into the crash in the evening. The government has assured the public that additional findings will be released as the technical probe moves forward.
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