Black Box Of Crashed Learjet Aircraft Recovered A Day After Ajit Pawar's Death

Investigators have recovered the "black box" of the Learjet aircraft, which crashed on Wednesday morning, killing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on board.

The "black box", which comprises the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, will now be analysed to determine the cause of the tragic accident. A specialised team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited the crash site on Wednesday evening to initiate a forensic probe into the tragic accident.

Ajit Pawar's aircraft crashed while it was attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport. The aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by Delhi-based company VSR Ventures, crashed around 8:45 am, killing 66-year-old Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer and attendant, and two cockpit crew, pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak.

Ajit Pawar left Mumbai around 8 am and was scheduled to address four election rallies in Baramati, his hometown, ahead of local body polls.

NCP Chief #AjitPawar Dies In Plane Crash, Was On Way To Campaign https://t.co/QIhkS2HAJj pic.twitter.com/4UogwCDrJJ

— NDTV (@ndtv) January 28, 2026

A senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) privy to the matter said the "last words heard from the crew were 'oh s***'.

He said that the ground control at Baramati is managed by pilot cadets from the town's two private aviation academies, Redbird Aviation and Carver Aviation. So this was the point of contact for the pilots.

A Civil Aviation Ministry statement outlined the sequence of events leading to Ajit Pawar's plane crash, including a potentially worrying point that the crew 'did not give a readback of landing clearance'.

At 8.18 am, the plane, registered as VT-SSK, established contact with the Baramati airport.

At this time, Kapur, who had a flying experience of over 15,000 hours, and co-pilot Pathak, who had flown for about 1,500 hours, were advised of weather conditions and advised to land at their discretion.

The crew, the ministry's official statement said, asked about winds and visibility. They were then told visibility was around 3,000 metres.

The aircraft then reported its final approach to Runway 11. Moments later, the pilot indicated the landing strip was 'not in sight' and was told to initiate a go-around, which is a standard operating procedure if an initial landing is aborted at any time till the plane comes to a full stop. After the go-around, the crew was asked, again, about its position, and the pilot reported final approach. Confirmation the runway was now visible was asked and given.

The plane was then cleared to land at 8:43 am. However, there was no readback of landing clearance.

"Next, the ATC (Air Traffic Control) saw the flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 8:44 am," the ministry said.