MoCA activates full investigation after Baramati aircraft crash, black box found

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said AAIB and DGCA teams reached the Baramati crash site, recovered the black box and launched a time-bound probe after Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s death.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Wednesday said all response and investigative mechanisms were activated immediately after the aircraft accident near Baramati, confirming recovery of the black box and the launch of a time-bound inquiry under the AAIB Rules, 2025. The crash killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others.

MoCA said a three-member team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Delhi, and another three-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Mumbai Regional Office, reached the site on January 28. The Director General, AAIB, also arrived the same day. “The investigation is progressing expeditiously,” the ministry said, adding that it will be completed within a defined timeframe in line with SOPs and laid-down guidelines.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the probe would be conducted in a transparent and accountable manner, noting that preliminary information indicated poor visibility at the time of landing, around 8:48 am.

The aircraft was carrying five people: Ajit Pawar; his personal security officer Vidip Jadhav; flight attendant Pinky Mali; Pilot-in-Command Sumit Kapur; and Second-in-Command Shambhavi Pathak. All five died in the crash.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced three days of mourning across the state. Government offices remained closed on Wednesday. Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be held with full state honours in Baramati, his political stronghold.