Less than four months after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed in a Learjet 45 crash near Baramati, another aircraft has gone down in the same area — this time a training aircraft near Gojubavi village in Baramati taluka, with the pilot emerging safe and unhurt.
The coincidence is impossible to ignore. The same patch of ground near Baramati Airport that became the site of one of Maharashtra’s most politically significant tragedies on January 28, 2026, has now witnessed another aviation incident — raising uncomfortable questions about whether anything has changed in the months since the Learjet tragedy, and whether Baramati’s airfield safety framework is receiving the urgent attention it demands.
What happened on January 28, 2026?
The January crash was the most devastating aviation tragedy in Baramati’s history. A Learjet 45 aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar — one of the most powerful political figures in the state and a key figure in the NCP — went down near Gojubavi village during approach to Baramati airfield. Pawar and four others on board were killed. The crash triggered immediate demands for a safety audit of Baramati’s airfield operations and raised questions about the adequacy of infrastructure at what is classified as an uncontrolled airfield with a single runway and no full instrument landing system.
A high-level investigation was ordered in the aftermath of the January crash. The DGCA launched a probe. Maharashtra’s government announced reviews of airfield safety standards. Political leaders demanded accountability. And the nation watched as one of its most prominent regional political figures was laid to rest following an accident that should not have happened.
What happened on May 13, 2026?
Four months and fifteen days later, another aircraft has crashed in the same general area. A training aircraft operated by Redbird Flight Training Academy went down near Gojubavi village in Baramati taluka on May 13, 2026. Pune Rural Police confirmed the incident. The pilot on board survived without injury — a vastly different outcome from January, and the one saving grace of a deeply troubling development.
The aircraft involved is a light training aircraft — the category used to teach student pilots — and the crash is under investigation by local police and the DGCA for probable cause. Early indications suggest a possible technical issue, though no official determination has been made.
Why does Baramati keep producing aviation incidents?
Baramati’s accumulated incident record is not a statistical anomaly — it reflects a set of structural conditions that aviation safety observers have been flagging for years.
The airfield operates as an uncontrolled field — there is no air traffic control tower providing active guidance to pilots using the airspace. Pilots operating at Baramati are required to self-announce their positions and self-separate from other traffic, a system that works in low-traffic environments but becomes increasingly risky as training academies multiply and aircraft movements increase. Multiple flight training academies — including Redbird — operate simultaneously at Baramati, generating significant training traffic in a confined airspace with limited infrastructure support.
The single-runway configuration provides no redundancy in emergency situations. The absence of a full instrument landing system historically limited precision approaches in low-visibility conditions. And the airfield’s geographic location — in a valley surrounded by terrain — creates specific challenges for pilots in training who have not yet developed the full situational awareness to manage complex approach environments.
The 2023 incidents resulted in injuries. The August 2025 crash-landing involved tyre damage and a bird strike. The January 2026 crash killed five people including the Deputy CM. And now May 2026 adds another entry to the list.
Has anything changed since Ajit Pawar’s death?
This is the question that the May 13 crash forces back into the public conversation with uncomfortable urgency. The January tragedy generated enormous political pressure for safety improvements at Baramati. Investigations were launched. Reviews were ordered. Commitments were made.
But the fact that another aircraft has gone down in the same area — even with a far less catastrophic outcome this time — suggests that whatever measures have been implemented or are under consideration have not yet produced a demonstrable change in the safety environment at Baramati airfield. An uncontrolled airfield with growing training traffic, a single runway, terrain challenges, and a history of incidents is a combination that demands either fundamental infrastructure investment or a serious reconsideration of the volume and nature of operations it is permitted to support.
The pilot’s survival on May 13 is the only reason this is not another national tragedy. Whether it serves as a warning that prompts genuine systemic change — rather than another round of investigations that produce reports without transformation — is now a question that Maharashtra’s aviation authorities and the DGCA must answer.
This is a developing story. Business Upturn will update this report as investigations by Pune Rural Police and the DGCA provide further details.
Disclaimer: Details are based on initial reports from Pune Rural Police and early media coverage. Official investigation findings may differ from preliminary accounts. Information about the January 2026 crash is based on publicly reported details and has not been independently verified by Business Upturn.