First visuals show Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s Learjet 45 crashing, bursting into flames near Baramati Airport. CCTV shows steep descent, explosions, smoke.
Officials confirmed that all five people on board were killed in the crash, including Pawar, along with his security and flight crew.
Disturbing first visuals from near Baramati Airport show the moment the chartered Learjet 45 carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar nosedived and burst into flames while attempting to land on Wednesday morning. The CCTV clip from a camera installed near the airstrip shows the aircraft descending steeply before hitting the ground and erupting into a fireball, leaving thick black smoke billowing over the crash site.
Officials confirmed that all five people on board were killed in the crash, including Pawar, along with his security and flight crew. The tragic visuals have become a crucial reference for investigators trying to piece together the sequence of events leading up to impact.
The CCTV footage captured just moments before the impact shows the charter plane making a low, unstable approach toward the runway. Seconds later, the aircraft strikes the ground nose-first and instantly catches fire. Several explosions follow, intensifying the blaze and hampering initial rescue efforts.
VIDEO | CCTV footage shows the crash of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's chartered aircraft at Baramati Airport.
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/3yNoX6PGOI— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
Visuals from the wreckage reveal scattered debris and parts of the Learjet’s fuselage off the runway, with emergency responders and bystanders standing at a distance due to the intense heat and rising flames.
An eyewitness described what they saw moments before and after the crash. “I saw it with my eyes. This is really painful. When the aircraft descended, it seemed it would crash, and it did crash. It then exploded. There was a massive explosion,” the person told ANI.
The witness added that several more explosions occurred after the first impact, making it impossible for nearby residents to help victims due to the fierce fire and heat.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the chartered plane was carrying five people at the time of the crash:
Officials say the aircraft took off from Mumbai around 8:10 am and attempted to land at Baramati Airport around 8:45 am, shortly before the crash.
After the Learjet crashed and burst into flames, local emergency services rushed to the scene. Firefighters and medical teams worked amid thick smoke to contain the blaze and search for survivors. Sadly, authorities stated that there were no survivors among those on board.
Nearby residents, alarmed by the explosion and fire, gathered at a safe distance while emergency crews coordinated efforts to secure the area and clear the debris.
The DGCA has dispatched a team to investigate the crash, with initial focus on the CCTV visuals, flight data records, and witness accounts. Experts will assess whether factors like visibility, technical malfunction, pilot communication, or runway conditions contributed to the fatal landing attempt.
Investigators also plan to retrieve cockpit voice recorders and other flight instruments to build a full sequence of the events that led to the tragedy.
