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Baramati: A series of explosions, as a chartered Learjet 45 carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, plunged to the ground just short of the runway.

For the locals who witnessed the final moments, the scene was nothing less than a nightmare. Eyewitness accounts have emerged detailing a horrific sequence of events that began with an unstable descent and ended in an inferno that made rescue efforts impossible.

The Final ‘100 Feet’

According to villagers who were working in nearby fields, the aircraft appeared to be struggling long before it hit the ground. One eyewitness stated that the plane seemed to lose balance as it approached the runway, dropping sharply from a height of approximately 100 feet.

"I saw it with my own eyes," one resident said, visibly shaken. "When the plane was descending, it looked like it would crash, and it did. It fell just before the runway and exploded the moment it hit the earth."

An eyewitness said, "I am in shock, can’t say much, but this is what I have seen: The plane was headed towards the runway, but it fell 100 feet before it."

Another witness, a woman working in a nearby field, described the plane "spinning in circles" before it fell. She noted that the aircraft had circled the airport multiple times, later confirmed by flight data as a second landing attempt, before the final, fatal plunge.

'4-5 Explosions'

Villagers who rushed toward the site to help were pushed back by a series of secondary blasts. A massive explosion occurred immediately upon crashing, engulfing the cockpit in flames. 

Witnesses reported hearing at least four to five additional explosions in the minutes following the crash. These are believed to have been triggered by the aircraft’s fuel tanks and technical systems.

"We ran to the spot to try and pull people out," an eyewitness recounted. "But the fire was too intense. After the first blast, there were more explosions inside the plane. We were completely helpless."

Debris Scattered Across Fields

The force of the crash was so immense that pieces of the Learjet were found scattered hundreds of meters away, with some debris landing near residential houses. By the time emergency services and fire personnel arrived, the aircraft was a charred remains.

Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have cordoned off the area, noting that the fire was so fierce it took nearly an hour. The five occupants, including Ajit Pawar, his security personnel, and two pilots, were killed in the fire and subsequent blasts.

As the state mourns, these eyewitness testimonies provide a chilling record of the final, violent moments of one of Maharashtra's most prominent leaders on his home turf.