Tragedy struck Maharashtra politics as Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s plane crashed during landing in Baramati, killing the 66-year-old leader and four others. Bound for crucial election meetings from Mumbai, his death leaves a void.
This isn’t isolated; aviation has felled many icons. Soundarya, pregnant and poised for motherhood, died at 32 in a fiery 2004 takeoff failure from Bengaluru, with kin and pilot.
Nadiya Ke Paar fame Omkar’s family trip to London ended in catastrophe.
Taruni Sachdev’s promising career halted at 14 in Nepal’s 2012 skies, her mother beside her.
Scindia’s jet battled storms in 2001; Balayogi’s copter sank in 2002; Gandhi’s stunt crashed in 1980; Rupani perished in 2025’s Air India horror; Reddy’s bird fell in 2009 jungles.
Patterns emerge: weather woes, tech failures, human oversight. Pawar’s loss galvanizes scrutiny on charter flight standards, pushing for AI-driven monitoring and fleet modernizations to safeguard against repeats.