Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: Low Visibility Triggered Fatal Chain of Events, Say Pilots

Baramati, 30th January 2026: Poor visibility appears to have triggered the chain of events that ended in Wednesday’s Learjet crash near Baramati, killing Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others, according to senior pilots who reviewed CCTV footage of the aircraft’s final moments.

The video, recorded by a CCTV camera installed at the Gojubavi village gram panchayat office, was never meant for aviation monitoring and had limited visibility due to nearby buildings, trees and overhead cables. Even so, experts say the seven-second clip offers critical clues about what went wrong.

Based on the timestamp, the jet entered the camera frame at 08:43:58 while descending toward the runway. Within two seconds, the aircraft abruptly rolled to the left, its bank angle steepening dramatically to nearly 90 degrees. “The jet was almost vertical in the air. That is not a normal landing attitude,” said an A320 commander who analysed the footage.

Moments later, the plane vanished from view because of obstructions. At 08:44:05, a massive fireball rose from behind the buildings, confirming the impact. “From the start of the roll to the crash, everything happened in seconds. At that height, the pilots had neither the time nor the altitude to recover or attempt another go-around,” the commander said.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the day of the accident, the crew had initially reported during final approach to Runway 11 that the runway was not visible and initiated a go-around. On the second attempt as well, they again said they could not see the runway, pointing to continued low-visibility conditions.

“After a few seconds, they reported that the runway was in sight and the aircraft was cleared to land,” the statement said. It also noted that the pilot did not give a standard read-back of the landing clearance, which is normally required in radio communication protocols.

Investigators familiar with the case said the video does not match a classic “controlled flight into terrain” (CFIT) scenario, where an aircraft under control hits the ground due to navigation error or poor visibility. “In CFIT, the wings are usually level. Here, the footage shows the aircraft in a steep, uncommanded roll just before impact,” an official said.

Aviation experts are now examining what could have caused such a sudden loss of control. “One possibility is an engine failure leading to asymmetric thrust and incorrect rudder input,” said a senior pilot. “But that is only one of several scenarios the investigators will test.”

Under standard procedures, if a crew cannot see the runway by the time the aircraft reaches decision height — typically around 200 metres above ground — they are expected to go around or divert to another airport.

“Whether the pilots felt pressured to land despite the conditions is a question the probe will definitely explore,” the A320 commander said.

The CCTV clip has been authenticated and confirmed to be from the Gojubavi gram panchayat office. The ministry’s statement did not mention any mayday or distress call from the cockpit. Officials say the footage is now a key piece of evidence for the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and other agencies trying to determine the exact cause of the crash.