As the state of Maharashtra observes a three-day mourning period, a senior DGCA official has said the final words heard from the cockpit of the doomed Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) were “Oh Shit.” The brief, desperate communication was recorded before the plane crashed down to the earth, killing Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and four others at Baramati Airport.
The Final Transmission
Captain Sumit Kapur and co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak piloted the aircraft. The DGCA reported that the crew attempted a second landing approach due to the reduced visibility and absence of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Baramati airstrip.
- 8:43 AM: The crew said there was a “Runway in sight” and they gained “landing clearance.”
- 8:44 AM: Silence. No mandatory “read-back” of the clearance was provided.
The Final Words
Those who were familiar with the investigation said the final recording captured was of the pilot saying, “Oh shit… oh shit,” as the plane allegedly tilted violently to the left and began a “death spiral” from an altitude of about 100 feet.
Breakdown: What Really Happened?
The unexpected exclamation sounds like a catastrophic and unforeseeable occurrence, not an eventual loss of control. Three main possibilities for the aircraft are under consideration by aviation experts:
- Low-Altitude Stall: To maintain visual contact with the runway in poor visibility, the aircraft might have slowed down below stall speed causing the wing to "drop."
- Sudden Mechanical Failure: Investigators are looking for any evidence or indication of a sudden flight control jam or an engine flameout that happened too low for recovery.
- Wind Shear: A sudden change in wind direction at a low altitude could have "pushed" the aircraft into the ground, leaving the pilots no time to respond.
A Final Reminder in Baramati
Though technical investigations are being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), today's focus was the funeral of Ajit Pawar. The late leader is to be given his last rites at Vidya Pratishthan grounds with full state honors.
In a tragic twist, it was revealed that co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak had sent a “Good Morning” message to her grandmother in Gwalior only moments before takeoff from Mumbai another regular connection before the disaster.
Recovery of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) will help in offering further context to those final two words and also allow investigators to assess if there were internal alarms or technical warnings preceding the pilot’s final exclamation.
