Who were Shambhavi Pathak and Pinki Mali? Two women onboard Ajit Pawar's Learjet 45 killed in plane crash
Shambhavi Pathak was one of the pilots onboard the ill-fated Learjet 45 flight carrying Ajit Pawar that crashed today, on 28 January.
While the crash of the aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has sent shockwaves across the country, two lesser-known passengers on board – Shambhavi Pathak and Pinki Mali – also lost their lives in the tragedy.
According to FlightRadar data, the aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8:10 AM and disappeared from radar around 8:45 AM. The crash occurred at approximately 8:50 AM, a police official said.
Who were Shambhavi Pathak and Pinki Mali?
Shambhavi Pathak was one of the pilots on board the ill-fated Learjet 45 that crashed on 28 January. According to a report by The Times of India, Shambhavi Pathak was serving as the first officer and was flying alongside Pilot-in-Command Sumit Kapoor.
Pathak was the daughter of an Army officer and had a strong academic background. She studied at Air Force Bal Bharati School and later pursued graduation in aeronautics, aviation, and aerospace science and technology from the University of Mumbai.
She also underwent flight training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy.
Pinki Mali, according to media reports, was accompanying Ajit Pawar to Baramati as a flight attendant on the chartered aircraft.
A resident of Bhainsa village in Kerakat tehsil of Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, Mali had been working as an air hostess for the past eight years, primarily on chartered flights, Amar Ujala reported.
She was married four years ago.
Speaking to NDTV after news of the crash emerged, Mali’s mother said she used to speak to her daughter every day, but did not receive a call from her on the day of the accident.
How it happened
The Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed at the Baramati airport early today.
There were five passengers on board the Learjet 45 aircraft at the time of the incident – Deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar, his PSO, one attendant and two crew members (pilot in command and the first officer).
Ajit Pawar, 66, was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the 5 February zilla parishad elections in Maharashtra.
He is survived by his wife, Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha and two sons, Parth and Jay.
Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said the aircraft caught fire following the crash and was accompanied by an explosion. “People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital,” he said.