A chartered plane’s fatal skid in Baramati has ended the life of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, a key NCP figure aged 66. He was heading to energize supporters with speeches before local polls when disaster struck, wiping out everyone on board.
History is replete with high-profile aviation casualties that continue to haunt us. Take Soundarya, the pregnant 32-year-old icon of Telugu cinema, whose 2004 flight from Bengaluru crashed in seconds, killing her brother, a party worker, and the pilot.
Omkar, who stole hearts in Nadiya Ke Paar, lost control mid-journey to London with loved ones.
Nepal’s rugged terrain claimed young Taruni Sachdev in 2012—the Rasna girl turned Pa star—dying with her mom on a celebratory flight.
Politicos like Madhavrao Scindia (2001, bad weather), GMC Balayogi (2002 helicopter into pond), Sanjay Gandhi (1980 aerobatics gone wrong), Vijay Rupani (2025 mass crash), and YS Rajasekhara Reddy (2009 forest chopper fall) remind us of air travel’s risks.
From mechanical glitches to pilot errors and treacherous weather, these episodes expose systemic flaws. Ajit Pawar’s crash, under probe, amplifies demands for technological upgrades and rigorous oversight to avert future heartbreaks.