Baramati: Hours after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar tragically died in a charter plane crash near Baramati airport, a post he made in 2024 has resurfaced on social media, leaving many users stunned by its irony.
In the now-viral post, Pawar had written back then: “When we travel by helicopter or plane, if our plane or helicopter lands smoothly, we understand that the pilot is a woman.”
The purpose of the tweet was to laud women pilots for their focus and skill in ensuring smooth landing of a plane and aircraft in any weather condition. He added a hashtag #NCPWomenPower, also to highlight that the empowerment of the female representatives of his political party.
His two-year old post has drawn attention as the flight which crashed included a woman pilot, First Officer Captain Shambhavi Pathak.
The business jet, registered as VT-SSK, departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai early Wednesday morning. Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati to attend a series of political and election-related events. The aircraft was nearing its final approach to Baramati Airport around 8:45 a.m. when it reportedly faced difficulties close to the runway. Despite an immediate response from emergency services, authorities later confirmed that there were no survivors among the five people on board.
Shambhavi Pathak, who was the First Officer, was assisting in aircraft handling, navigation, and communication with air traffic control. Aviation officials noted that both pilots were qualified and familiar with charter operations on similar aircraft. A user on X with the name Sudhir described Sahmbhavi as a brilliant student, a great daughter, a loving sibling and a very good friend. Calling it a personal loss, he said that Shambhavi was his daughter's friend from the KG class.
After completing her schooling at Air Force Bal Bharati School in 2018, she trained at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy, earning her Commercial Pilot License under both New Zealand CAA and India’s DGCA standards.
In 2022, she completed her B.Sc. in Aeronautics from Mumbai University. Before transitioning to charter flying, Pathak also worked as an Assistant Flight Instructor at the Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, holding a Flight Instructor Rating (A), where she trained aspiring pilots and earned a reputation for discipline and technical expertise.
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