Ajit Pawar plane crash: All about the 16-year old Bombardier Learjet 45, operator VSR linked to another crash in 2023

A Bombardier Learjet 45 business jet registered as VT-SSK crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport on Wednesday, killing all five people on board, according to an official occurrence report and confirmations from senior state officials. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was among the fatalities.

The aircraft was operated by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd. The occurrence report states that the jet crash-landed at Baramati and that no one on board survived.

The five occupants were Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer, an attendant, the pilot-in-command and the first officer.

What is known about the aircraft and the crash

The Learjet 45 is a twin-engine light business jet widely used for corporate and VIP travel, and is often deployed on short and mid-range routes, including sectors to smaller regional airports such as Baramati.

Initial information suggests the aircraft encountered trouble during the landing phase, though the exact sequence of events is still being verified. Emergency responders reached the site shortly after impact and found the aircraft destroyed, with no signs of survival.

Aviation authorities are expected to secure the area and begin the preliminary technical assessment, including recovery of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, to establish what happened in the final moments of the approach. Investigators will examine crew communication, aircraft systems, and weather conditions during landing.

The crashed jet was a Bombardier Learjet 45 with serial number 45-417 and was 16 years old. It was part of a larger VSR fleet that operates 17 aircraft, including the jet involved in Wednesday’s accident.

VSR says the aircraft was “100% safe.”

VSR Ventures officials said the aircraft had no known safety issues. Speaking to India Today TV, VSR top official Vijay Kumar Singh said the craft was “100% safe” and that the crew was “fairly experienced”. He added that poor visibility could have been a factor, although the final determination would come from the DGCA investigation.

Singh confirmed that the pilots who died were Sumit Kapoor and Sambhavi Pathak.

“We have lost our pilots, our passengers,” he said. “It is a very difficult moment for the company.”

2023 Learjet incident adds focus on approach risks

The Baramati crash has also revived attention on a serious incident involving a Learjet linked to the VSR ecosystem in 2023.

A VSR Ventures-owned Learjet 45XR, registered as VT-DBL, crash-landed on September 14, 2023, at Mumbai airport during heavy rain and low visibility while arriving from Visakhapatnam.

The aircraft drifted right of Runway 27 after autopilot disconnect, with multiple cockpit warnings, including stick shaker alert, stall warning and EGPWS alerts, sounding during the final approach. The fuselage broke into two sections before stopping near stand C80. All eight occupants survived, though several were injured, including serious injuries to the co-pilot.