Baramati plane crash claimed the lives of five people on Wednesday morning, including pilot-in-command Captain Shambhavi Pathak and 29-year-old cabin crew member Pinky Mali, after a chartered Learjet 45 overshot the runway and burst into flames while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Maharashtra.
The aircraft was operating a chartered flight from Mumbai and was carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. According to officials, the jet overshot the runway during its second landing attempt and caught fire moments later. There were no survivors.
Captain Shambhavi Pathak, who was serving as the pilot-in-command, hailed from a defence family and was the daughter of an Indian Army officer. She completed her schooling at Air Force Bal Bharati School and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics from the University of Mumbai. She received professional flight training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy and had completed the theoretical requirements for a Frozen Airline Transport Pilot Licence.
She was flying alongside Captain Sumit Kapoor, a senior pilot with more than 16,000 hours of flying experience. Both pilots were operating the Delhi-based VSR Aviation chartered aircraft.
Among the victims was Pinky Mali, a Mumbai-based cabin crew member who lived with her family in Worli. Originally from Bhainsa village in Jaunpur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, she completed her schooling and higher education in Thane before entering the aviation industry.
Family members said Pinky had spoken to her father and brother earlier on the day of the crash and sounded cheerful. She had mentioned plans to help facilitate a meeting with Ajit Pawar after reaching Baramati. That conversation later proved to be her final call.
Her father, Shiv Kumar Mali, a Shiv Sena leader based in Maharashtra, said there was no communication from her after the flight took off. Pinky is survived by her parents, brother Karan, and sister Preeti.
Officials from the operating company stated that the Learjet was technically sound and maintained in accordance with regulatory standards. Preliminary indications suggest that poor visibility during landing may have contributed to the crash. Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.