‘Oh s***’: Crew’s last words before Ajit Pawar’s plane crashed
Ajit Pawar plane crash: On their initial attempt, the crew reported their final approach to Runway 11 but immediately declared the runway was “not in sight”.
- Jan 29, 2026,
- Updated Jan 29, 2026 12:29 PM IST
A senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation revealed that cockpit recordings captured the crew’s of Ajit Pawar’s plane’s final moments. The last words heard from the crew were, “Oh s***!”. The crash claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, along with the crew, one PSO and an attendant.
At 8:18 am on Wednesday, the Learjet 45 registered as VT-SSK contacted Baramati airport with pilot Sumit Kapur, who had more than 15,000 flying hours, and co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, with approximately 1,500 hours. The crew sought wind and visibility updates and were informed of approximately 3,000 metres’ visibility, deemed suitable for landing. Both pilots were briefed on prevailing weather conditions and instructed to attempt landing at their discretion.
On their initial attempt, the crew reported their final approach to Runway 11 but immediately declared the runway was “not in sight”. They were told to execute a go-around, which is standard practice when a safe landing cannot be assured. After the go-around, the pilots confirmed their new position and again requested clearance to land.
Ground control at Baramati is managed by pilot cadets from the local Redbird Aviation and Carver Aviation academies, who served as the primary point of contact for the flight. At 8:43 am, the aircraft was cleared to land, but there was no recorded readback of this landing clearance from the crew, a detail highlighted in the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s preliminary report.
The Learjet crashed within the perimeter of the airstrip yet fell significantly short of the runway threshold, according to officials. At 8:44 am, Air Traffic Control registered flames near the threshold of Runway 11. The sequence of events is currently under forensic investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which arrived at the scene on Wednesday evening.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered.
A statement released by the Civil Aviation Ministry emphasised procedural details, including that the flight crew did not provide a readback of the landing clearance. This omission is now a key focus of official inquiry. Investigators are piecing together the sequence of communications between the pilots and ground staff.
State mourning was declared across Maharashtra to honour Ajit Pawar, with his funeral taking place today. Top leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, attended the service.
A senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation revealed that cockpit recordings captured the crew’s of Ajit Pawar’s plane’s final moments. The last words heard from the crew were, “Oh s***!”. The crash claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, along with the crew, one PSO and an attendant.
At 8:18 am on Wednesday, the Learjet 45 registered as VT-SSK contacted Baramati airport with pilot Sumit Kapur, who had more than 15,000 flying hours, and co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, with approximately 1,500 hours. The crew sought wind and visibility updates and were informed of approximately 3,000 metres’ visibility, deemed suitable for landing. Both pilots were briefed on prevailing weather conditions and instructed to attempt landing at their discretion.
On their initial attempt, the crew reported their final approach to Runway 11 but immediately declared the runway was “not in sight”. They were told to execute a go-around, which is standard practice when a safe landing cannot be assured. After the go-around, the pilots confirmed their new position and again requested clearance to land.
Ground control at Baramati is managed by pilot cadets from the local Redbird Aviation and Carver Aviation academies, who served as the primary point of contact for the flight. At 8:43 am, the aircraft was cleared to land, but there was no recorded readback of this landing clearance from the crew, a detail highlighted in the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s preliminary report.
The Learjet crashed within the perimeter of the airstrip yet fell significantly short of the runway threshold, according to officials. At 8:44 am, Air Traffic Control registered flames near the threshold of Runway 11. The sequence of events is currently under forensic investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which arrived at the scene on Wednesday evening.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered.
A statement released by the Civil Aviation Ministry emphasised procedural details, including that the flight crew did not provide a readback of the landing clearance. This omission is now a key focus of official inquiry. Investigators are piecing together the sequence of communications between the pilots and ground staff.
State mourning was declared across Maharashtra to honour Ajit Pawar, with his funeral taking place today. Top leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, attended the service.