Ajit Pawar death: NCP demands CBI probe into Baramati plane crash

Mumbai: Nearly three weeks after Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati, his party has demanded a CBI probe even as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that since the Black Box has suffered damage because of fire and resultant heat the agency has sought “specialised support” for retrieval of data.

A delegation of the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, her son Parth Pawar, NCP working president Praful Patel, NCP state unit president Sunil Tatkare and senior minister Hasan Mushrif called on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister, and submitted a memorandum.

The demands for a CBI probe came at a time when questions about the crash had earlier been raised by Ajit Pawar’s nephew Rohit Pawar, who is an NCP (SP) MLA.

Rohit Pawar has the slow pace of the investigation, alleging possible negligence and regulatory failures by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, the charter company.

After the 28 January 2026 crash, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) has ordered a probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) while the Maharashtra government has ordered a probe by the State-Crime Investigation Department (CID).

The AAIB requested all stakeholders to avoid speculation and allow the investigation process to proceed in accordance with established procedures.

“The aircraft was equipped with two independent flight recorders. Both recorders were exposed to intense heat for a prolonged period during the accident and sustained fire damage,” the AAIB said.

The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), manufactured by L3-Communications, has been successfully downloaded at the AAIB Flight Recorder Laboratory.

The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), manufactured by Honeywell, is undergoing detailed technical examination.

Assistance has been sought from the Accredited Representative of the State of Manufacture for specialised support in data retrieval, the AAIB said.

In this case, the state of manufacture is the United States.

“The AAIB is diligently following all prescribed technical and procedural protocols to ensure a comprehensive, objective and evidence-based investigation. The Bureau remains fully committed to transparency and will share further information at the appropriate stage of the investigation,” the AAIB said.

After the crash at Baramati Airport complex in Pune district, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has asked the DGCA and AAIB to probe the accident that claimed five lives — Ajit Pawar (66), Captain Sumit Kapur, the Pilot‑in‑Command (PIC), Captain Sambhavi Pathak, the Second-in-Command (SIC), Pinky Mali, the Flight Attendant and Vidhit Jadhav, a Mumbai Police Constable, who was Personal Security Officer of the politician.

The investigation is being carried out strictly in accordance with the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 and the international standards and recommended practices of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13.