Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar's untimely demise in a plane crash this morning has sent shockwaves across the nation.
The late Deputy CM was headed to Baramati to address a rally scheduled for 11 a.m. However, the private jet he was travelling in crashed while attempting to land, and there were no survivors.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), five people, including the crew, died in the crash. The aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by Delhi-based charter company VSR, was flying from Mumbai to Baramati and crash-landed around 8:45 a.m.
Those on board, apart from Ajit Pawar, included Head Constable Vidip Jadhav, Flight Attendant Pinky Mali, Pilot-in-Command Capt. Sumit Kapur, and Second-in-Command Capt. Shambhavi Pathak.
After the news of Ajit Pawar's death broke out, people began searching for pilots who were flying the ill-fated aircraft.
Let's take a look at who was the pilot-in-command on board with Ajit Pawar, who also died in the fatal crash.
According to reports, the pilot in command was Sumit Kapur, and the co-pilot was Shambhavi Pathak. According to available professional records, she had a strong academic background in aviation and was regarded as a trained and qualified pilot in the business jet segment, reports Pune Pulse.
Who was Shambhavi Pathak?
Shambhavi Pathak completed her secondary education at Air Force Bal Bharati School between 2016 and 2018. She received commercial pilot and flight crew training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics, Aviation, and Aerospace Science and Technology from the University of Mumbai.
Pathak also worked as an Assistant Flying Instructor at Madhya Pradesh Flying Club and held a Flight Instructor Rating (A). She had obtained a Frozen Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) from the DGCA.
She was a highly trained pilot with multiple licenses and certifications, including Aviation Security (AVSEC) from SpiceJet Limited (March 2022), Jet Orientation Training (A320) from Jordan Airline Training and Simulation (February 2022), a Commercial Pilot License from DGCA (May 2020), a CAA Commercial Pilot License from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (November 2019), English Language Proficiency Level 6 from ICAO (January 2019), and a Flight Instructor Rating from the Madhya Pradesh Flying Club.
About the fatal crash, here's what we know
Flight tracking data shows that Pawar's aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8:10 a.m. Around 35 minutes later, it crashed in a hilly area near Baramati. The jet stopped sending ADS-B signals approximately 20 km from Baramati airport, where it was scheduled to land.
Heartbreaking news ?
— Hinduism_and_Science (@Hinduism_sci) January 28, 2026
Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, who was piloting Ajit Pawar’s private plane, is among those who lost their lives in the crash.
Om Shanti ? #AjitPawar pic.twitter.com/4SESJCRLag
Ajit Pawar's last meeting was with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai
Pawar was travelling to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections. He had been in Mumbai the previous day, attending a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with other officials, including Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
About Ajit Pawar
Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, holding the position non-consecutively for six terms under the governments of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.
He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar, and their two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.
