Mumbai, Feb 18: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has formally demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the January 28 plane crash that claimed the life of senior leader Ajit Pawar and four others near Baramati in Maharashtra’s Pune district.
A delegation led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to seek a comprehensive and independent probe into the incident. Senior NCP leaders, including Praful Patel, Hasan Mushrif, Parth Pawar and Sunil Tatkare, were part of the delegation.
Tatkare said, “We have requested the Chief Minister to have this entire incident investigated by the CBI.” He added, “The Chief Minister has assured us that the state government will write to the Union Home Minister and take the necessary steps to pursue a CBI investigation.”
Earlier, NCP MLA Rohit Pawar had raised concerns about the pace of the investigation and alleged possible negligence by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, the operator of the aircraft.
Crash Details
The crash involved a Learjet 45 aircraft (registration VT-SSK), which went down while attempting to land at the Baramati airstrip on January 28, 2026. The aircraft was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati. All five persons on board, including Ajit Pawar, were killed.
Pawar, 66, was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in non-consecutive terms. He served six terms in governments led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. He was the nephew of Sharad Pawar and cousin of Supriya Sule. He is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.
AAIB Probe Underway
The investigation is being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, “The investigation is being conducted strictly in accordance with the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 and the international standards and recommended practices of ICAO Annex 13.”
Preliminary findings revealed that both flight recorders were exposed to intense heat during the post-crash fire and sustained significant damage. “Both recorders were exposed to intense heat for a prolonged period during the accident and sustained fire damage,” the ministry said.
However, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) has been successfully downloaded at the AAIB laboratory, while the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) is undergoing detailed technical examination. Assistance has also been sought from the State of Manufacture for specialised support in retrieving data from the damaged recorder.
The AAIB has emphasised that the probe will remain impartial and evidence-based, and has urged the public and media to refrain from speculation as the investigation progresses.
