Captain Sambhavi Pathak, the co-pilot of the ill-fated flight reportedly carrying late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday morning, allegedly swore moments before the crash. However, neither she nor Captain Sumit Kapoor issued a ‘Mayday’ call, reports said.
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Captain Sumit was an experienced pilot with several years of flying experience, a Marathi media report said. Sambhavi Pathak had been working with the company since 2022. She studied aviation at Mumbai University and later underwent training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy from 2018 to 2019. Also among the victims were Mumbai PSO HC Videep Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
Who was Pinky Mali?
Hailing from the Worli-Prabhadevi area, 29-year-old Pinky's family resides in the Century Mill MHADA Colony on Hasu Tandel Road near Century Bazaar. Another report claimed that she was a resident of Kerakat tehsil in Jaunpur district. Her husband, Somvikar Saini, left for Baramati following the incident.
Pinky Mali's father, Shivkumar Mali, was a cab driver and a long-time worker for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Loksatta said in a report. After completing her education, she joined VCR Ventures Company as a flight attendant five years ago, the report added. It was her dream to help her younger brother become a pilot one day, the report said. She had four siblings in total.
According to reports, Pinky had served several high-profile figures, including Devendra Fadnavis and the Prime Minister's brother. The Marathi media said it was her fourth time on board with the Deputy Chief Minister, and she had left her residence on Wednesday morning. Her family was alerted about the crash via the Juhu police station. Her colleagues and acquaintances are remembering her as a dedicated and hardworking individual, Jagran said in a report.