NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal expresses surprise over AAIB report, pilot napping

Mumbai: After Ajit Pawar’s son Jay and nephew Rohit, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal sought action by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over a video where VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd owner VK Singh’s son Rohit Singh is caught napping in the cockpit even as he expressed surprise over Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report which said that the Learjet 45 aircraft hit a few trees before it crashed in Baramati.

The plane crashed in Baramati on January 28, 2026, killing all the five people on board including former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

In its preliminary report, the AAIB said, “…As per the footages of CCTV installed in nearby village, the aircraft was observed to have banked towards right before impacting the terrain. The aircraft first impacted the trees before hitting the ground which is at a lower elevation than the runway surface."

"The ground impact of aircraft was at a lateral distance of about 50 meters on the left from edge of Runway-11. The aircraft was engulfed in fire during which the entire cockpit and cabin section got burnt. The aircraft was destroyed during the accident….”

"I am surprised. If the plane hit the trees, someone would have seen it…there were people over there, there were journalists over there,” Bhujbal, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister, told reporters.

The senior politician also said it was shocking that the owner of the company is sleeping in the cockpit.

“The authorities must take cognizance of the video and conduct an investigation,” he said, however, clarified that the footage is of some other aircraft and not the one in which Ajit Pawar was on board.