Ajit Pawar narrowly escaped a plane crash 18 months ago; his helicopter got lost in the clouds.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on Wednesday. He was traveling from Mumbai to Baramati for a municipal election rally. His plane crashed during landing at Baramati airport. Six people, including Ajit Pawar, died in the crash. Ajit Pawar had also narrowly escaped a plane crash in July 2024. He was going to Gadchiroli for the inauguration of a steel project.

Devendra Fadnavis and Uday Samant were also on board the helicopter with him. Their one-hour journey was far from easy. Their hearts were pounding throughout the trip. When their helicopter was flying over Nagpur, it got caught in dense clouds and lost its way due to poor visibility. However, the pilot skillfully navigated through the clouds and made a safe landing.

During this time, Ajit Pawar looked very worried and was constantly looking out of the window. However, Devendra Fadnavis remained calm, as he had narrowly escaped similar accidents six times before. He reassured Pawar. Pawar later shared his experience at the event, saying, “Uday Samant asked me to look outside towards the landing site. When I saw it through the window, I finally felt relieved.”

Eighteen months after that incident, Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati. His Learjet 45XR lost control during landing and crashed. Besides Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer, attendant, and two crew members—a pilot-in-command and a second-in-command—were on board. All of them died in the accident. Fadnavis described Pawar’s death in the plane crash as “unbelievable” and said he had lost a good friend. He said that Pawar’s death has left a void that can never be filled. He further added that it is difficult to believe that he is no longer with us.