Captain Shambhavi Pathak was one of the five people who died after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ajit Pawar’s Learjet 25 VT SSK, crashed in Baramati.
Pathak was co-piloting the aircraft along with the pilot in Command captain Sumit Kumar. The two were experienced aviation professionals. VSR Aviation confirmed their identities.
Sumit Kumar had over 16,000 hours of flying experience.
Co-pilot Shambhavi had a strong academic background in aviation and was trained in qualities in the business jet segment, Pune Pulse reported. She was the daughter of an Army officer.
She had completed her schooling at Air Force Bal Bharati School and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics, Aviation, and Aerospace Science and Technology from the University of Mumbai. Additional she also enrolled in the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy, where she pursued advanced flight training.
One of Shambahavi’s childhood friends' father shared that he knew the young pilot, calling her “a brilliant student, a great daughter, a very loving sibling, and a very good friend,” on X.
“Along with the Deputy CM of Maharashtra, a young pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, the Pilot of the plane, also lost her life in the Plane crash. She was a brilliant student, a great daughter, a very loving sibling, and a very good friend. This is a personal loss as she was my daughter’s friend from KG class. Prayers, “ Shudhir, a chef and traveller, said.
The aviation community is mourning the death of two experienced pilots in the crash.
According to the preliminary investigation, the crew carried the Learjet 45 business aircraft in a go-around after reporting that the runway was not in sight. The visibility in the area was reported to bae around 3000 metres with calm winds.
The pilots reported visibility issues for a second time after retrying landing, a DGCA statement said. The pilots were given clearance to land at 8:45 am, but there was no readback, and moments later the flames were observed near the threshhold of Runway 11.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation and is conducting a probe into how the crash occurred.