Bombay Flying Club faculty say the 2022 graduate balanced studies and work while scoring a GPA of 9.93 with over 1500 flying hours
Shambhavi Pathak, the co-pilot of chartered aircraft VT-SSK that crashed at Baramati. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Shambhav Pathak, the co-pilot of chartered aircraft VT-SSK that crashed at Baramati on Wednesday, was among the five people killed. With around 1500 flying hours and a Commercial Pilot’s Licence, Pathak had graduated from the Bombay Flying Club (BFC) in 2022.
Faculty members at BFC remembered her as a calm, composed, and disciplined student.
Kavita Parab, HOD and senior executive at BFC, told mid-day, “She was one of those students who knew how to manage her life well. Despite having a primary job, she never missed exams and always maintained discipline to excel in every area.”
Pathak had joined BFC during her second year of BSc studies at Mumbai University and began direct practical and theoretical flight training. She stood out as a high-performing student, scoring a GPA of 9.93 out of 10. “That itself shows how dedicated she was to aviation,” a faculty member said.
The crash occurred at around 8.45 am when the VSR Ventures-operated Bombardier Learjet 45, VT-SSK, attempted to land at the threshold of Runway 11 at Baramati Airport. Air Traffic Control personnel witnessed the aircraft going up in flames after impact.
According to information released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the five people on board were Pilot-in-Command Sumit Kapoor, Co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, cabin attendant Pinky Mali, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Mumbai PSO HC Vidit Jadhav. The impact and the subsequent fire claimed all five lives.
Second crash
VT-SSK was a 16-year-old aircraft and one of seven Learjet 45 aircraft owned by the operator. This is the second aircraft from the operator’s fleet to be involved in an accident in the last five years.
The earlier incident involved aircraft VT-DBL, which met with an accident while landing at Mumbai airport. The investigation is being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
According to the preliminary report, the incident occurred on September 14, 2023. “At 113133 UTC, the crew had runway in sight, and they decided to land on Runway 27. The aircraft continuously drifted right of the Runway 27 and moved towards Apron C. About 40 seconds after the autopilot was disconnected, a Stick Shaker alert sounded in the cockpit, accompanied by a Stall warning. Thereafter, EGPWS warnings were generated, and the aircraft crash-landed at the shoulder of the intersection of Taxiway W and Taxiway N. As a result, the aircraft’s fuselage broke into two pieces and skidded, finally coming to a stop near the intersection of Taxiway U and Taxiway N on an unpaved area near stand C80,” the report stated.
Baramati airport
. Uncontrolled airfield: No operating ATC tower; pilots are responsible for safety, maintaining separation, and coordinating traffic.
. Runway: Single runway (11/29), 1770 metres long and 30 metres wide, with turning pads at both ends
. Advisory tower: Flight advisories are provided by senior pilots from an adjacent aviation academy due to the absence of a full ATC facility
8.45 am
Time of the accident
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