Ajit Pawar’s death: ‘Runway not in sight’ – how the final moments of the Baramati crash unfolded

A minute-by-minute sequence released by the government on Wednesday offers a stark and grim account of the final moments before a plane crash in Baramati that claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, turning an otherwise routine flight into a national tragedy.

Baramati is an uncontrolled airport where traffic information is coordinated by instructors and pilots from flight training organizations rather than a full-fledged air traffic control system. According to a January 28 airfield official statement, the aircraft — VI-SSK — first established radio contact with Baramati at 8:18 am.

The next communication came when the aircraft was 30 nautical miles away, after being cleared by the Pune Approach. The crew was advised to descend under visual meteorological conditions at their discretion.

During this phase, the pilots were gathering information about the weather conditions. They were informed that the wind was calm and the visibility was around 3,000 meters, conditions that would not normally raise an immediate alarm.

As the aircraft approached runway 11, the crew reported that the runway was not in sight. The first landing attempt was aborted and the pilots initiated a go-around, a standard safety maneuver when visual contact is lost.

After the flyby, the aircraft was again asked to report its position. The crew said they re-approached runway 11 and were asked to confirm when the runway appeared. “Rajda is currently not in sight, will call when the runway is in sight,” the pilots replied.

Moments later they announced that a runway had appeared. At 8:43 a.m., the plane was cleared to land on runway 11. However, officials noted that no reconfirmation of clearance to land, which is a routine confirmation, was received from the cockpit.

Just one minute later, at 8:44 a.m., those at the airport saw flames shooting up near the threshold of Runway 11. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but the impact and fire left no room for rescue.

Wreckage was later found on the left side of the runway, on the threshold of Runway 11.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has taken over the investigation and the Director General of the AAIB is on his way to Baramati to lead the investigation. Authorities said more details will be shared as they become available.