In the wake of the catastrophic aviation accident that claimed the lives of five individuals in Maharashtra, the heartbreaking final conversation between air hostess Pinky Mali and her father has come to light. Pinky, a resident of Worli, Mumbai, had telephoned her father, Shivkumar, shortly before the ill-fated flight took off.
“Dad, I am flying to Baramati with Ajit Pawar,” she told him. “After dropping him off, I shall be heading to Nanded. We will speak tomorrow.” Her father, reassuring her, replied that they would catch up once her duties were concluded. Tragically, that “tomorrow” never arrived.
A Devastating Loss
Shivkumar, overwhelmed by grief, shared that his daughter had recently accompanied the Deputy Chief Minister on several official tours. “I have lost my daughter,” he sobbed. “I do not understand the technicalities of what went wrong. I am utterly shattered. My only wish now is to receive her body so that I may bid her a dignified farewell.”
The Fatal Sequence of Events
The incident involved a Learjet 45 (VT-SSK), owned by Delhi-based VSR Ventures. The aircraft crashed near Baramati Airport in the Pune district on Wednesday morning.
The flight departed from Mumbai at 08:10 AM, destined for Pune, where Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was scheduled to attend four public rallies ahead of the District Council elections on 5 February. According to flight data, the aircraft vanished from radar screens at 08:45 AM, plummeting to the ground just five minutes later.
| Flight Information | Details |
| Aircraft Model | Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) |
| Owner | VSR Ventures, Delhi |
| Departure Time | 08:10 AM (Mumbai) |
| Time of Crash | 08:50 AM (Near Baramati) |
| Total Onboard | 5 Persons |
| Primary Passenger | Dy. CM Ajit Pawar |
Investigation and Recovery
The crash site was immediately cordoned off by emergency services and security officials who rushed to the scene following reports that the pilot had lost control during the landing approach. Alongside the Deputy Chief Minister and Pinky Mali, the crash claimed the lives of personal security officer Bidip Yadav, Captain Sumit Kapoor, and Co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak.
To ascertain the precise cause of the tragedy, a specialised team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was dispatched from Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. Investigators are expected to scrutinise the flight data recorder (black box) and weather conditions at the time of the approach to determine whether mechanical failure or pilot error played a role in the disaster.