A routine political trip turned tragic on Wednesday morning when a chartered Learjet 45 carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed near Baramati Airport in Pune district. All six people on board—including Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer, and two pilots—were killed.The aircraft had taken off from Mumbai around 8 a.m. and was attempting to land at Baramati when it lost control and crashed, causing a massive fire and multiple explosions, eyewitnesses reported.Among the victims was Shambhavi Pathak, a trained pilot. Pathak completed her secondary education at Air Force Bal Bharati School (2016–2018) and pursued commercial pilot and flight crew training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, Aviation, and Aerospace Science and Technology from the University of Mumbai. She also worked as an Assistant Flying Instructor at the Madhya Pradesh Flying Club and held a Flight Instructor Rating (A) and a Frozen Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).The flight crew included Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had over 16,000 hours of flying experience, and a co-pilot with around 1,500 hours.VSR Aviation officials described both the aircraft and crew as “100 per cent safe” and “fairly experienced.”The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a detailed investigation into the crash, examining weather conditions, visibility, flight operations, and technical data.Ajit Pawar, 66, was en route to political meetings ahead of local body elections when the accident occurred. Authorities, political leaders, and citizens continue to mourn this devastating loss in one of Maharashtra’s most tragic aviation accidents in recent years.