Ajit Pawar plane crash: Black Box of Learjet 45 aircraft recovered

The Black Box of the Learjet 45 aircraft that crashed near the Baramati airstrip on Wednesday has been recovered, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

A Black Box is a small device that records information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps in the investigation of aviation accidents.

The ministry said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigation into the plane crash, which killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others, is progressing expeditiously.

AAIB has the mandate to investigate all accidents and serious incidents involving aircraft with a gross weight of 2,250 kg and more or turbojet aircraft. On Wednesday, AAIB was asked to probe the plane crash.

"The investigation is progressing expeditiously, and the Black Box of the ill-fated aircraft has been recovered," the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a post on X.

Following the unfortunate aircraft accident near Baramati, all requisite response and investigative mechanisms were activated immediately. Ensuring a thorough, transparent, and time-bound inquiry remains a top priority.

A team of three officers from AAIB, Delhi, and another team…

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) January 29, 2026

Five people, including Pawar, his personal security officer and attendant, as well as two cockpit crew — pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak — were killed when the Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, crashed during its second attempt to land at Baramati table-top air strip.

"Ensuring a thorough, transparent, and time-bound inquiry remains a top priority," the ministry said, adding that all requisite response and investigative mechanisms were activated immediately following the unfortunate aircraft accident near Baramati.

A team of three officers from AAIB, Delhi, and another team of three officers from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Mumbai Regional Office, reached the crash site on January 28. The Director General, AAIB, also arrived at the site the same day, the ministry said.