Authorities said the plane, which had taken off from Mumbai and was attempting to land in Baramati around 8:45 am, went down moments before touchdown. Pawar, 66, and all the 4 occupants were killed at the scene.

The accident has sent a wave of shock across Maharashtra's political establishment and the wider country. Pawar, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, was travelling for official and political engagements in the region.

His death adds to a sombre list of influential Indians who have perished in aviation mishaps over the decades. Among the most notable:

Vijay Rupani (2025)

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among 241 people killed in 2025 when an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Only one passenger survived.

General Bipin Rawat (2021)

India's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 others died on 8 December 2021 when their military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu en route to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.

Taruni Sachdev (2012)

Child actor Taruni Sachdev, widely recognised as the "Rasna Girl" and for her role in Paa, died along with her mother in a 2012 Agni Air crash near Nepal's Jomsom Airport. The aircraft is believed to have encountered severe winds in the mountainous region.

Dorjee Khandu (2011)

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu died on 30 April 2011 after his Pawan Hans helicopter lost contact during a flight from Tawang to Itanagar. The wreckage was discovered four days later in West Kameng district. Four others also died in the crash.

YS Rajasekhara Reddy (2009)

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly known as YSR, was killed on 2 September 2009 when his Bell 430 helicopter went missing and later was found crashed in the Nallamala forests amid severe weather.

OP Jindal and Surender Singh (2005)

Industrialist and Haryana minister O. P. Jindal and state agriculture minister Surender Singh were killed in March 2005 when their helicopter, travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh, went down in fields near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

S Sowmya (Soundarya) (2004)

Well-known South Indian actor Soundarya, born KS Sowmya, died on 17 April 2004 in a crash shortly after take-off from Bengaluru. She had been travelling to Karimnagar with her brother when the aircraft plunged to the ground.

GMC Balayogi (2002)

Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi died on 3 March 2002 when the Bell 206 helicopter in which he was travelling crashed in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district.

Madhavrao Scindia (2001)

Senior Congress leader and former civil aviation minister Madhavrao Scindia was killed on 30 September 2001 when a 10-seater private aircraft flying to Kanpur for a political event went down in poor weather near Manipuri in Uttar Pradesh.

Sanjay Gandhi (1980)

Congress politician Sanjay Gandhi, son of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, died on 23 June 1980 while performing low-altitude manoeuvres in a Delhi Flying Club aircraft near Safdarjung Airport. The plane lost control and crashed, killing him instantly.

Dr Homi J Bhabha (1966)

Nuclear physicist Homi J Bhabha, considered the architect of India's atomic research programme, died on 24 January 1966 when an Air India flight crashed into Mont Blanc in the French Alps due to an apparent miscommunication between Geneva air traffic control and the cockpit. All 117 people aboard were killed.

Subhas Chandra Bose (1945)

Freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose was reported to have died from injuries sustained in an aircraft crash in Taiwan in 1945 while fleeing Japanese-occupied territories near the end of World War II. Though the official account cites engine failure, his death remains the subject of ongoing debate and speculation.