Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, in Baramati. The private Bombardier Learjet 45 business jet he was traveling in crashed, killing five people, including the pilot and co-pilot. The jet belongs to a Delhi-based firm, VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd. Pawar was on board the mid-size Learjet 45 aircraft when the tragedy struck. The Learjet 45 has a history of accidents, including a 2023 incident where a similar aircraft veered off the runway at Mumbai International Airport, halting flight operations for nearly two hours. Another crash in 2008 in Mexico killed the Mexican Secretary of the Interior and others, caused by turbulence and emergency landing failure. In 2003, a Learjet 45 crashed after a bird strike at Milan Linate Airport, killing both pilots. This crash in Baramati marks a grim event in Maharashtra's political and aviation history. No further details on the crash cause have been released yet.