The reported death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash is deeply tragic. It is a personal loss for his family and a political shock for Maharashtra. However, beyond grief and condolences, it once again forces a question India has repeatedly avoided: why do aircraft carrying senior leaders keep crashing, and why are lessons learnt only after lives are lost?
India’s post-Independence history carries a disturbing pattern. Sanjay Gandhi died flying a private aircraft in 1980. Union minister Madhavrao Scindia was killed in a small plane crash in 2001. Lok Sabha Speaker G. M. C. Balayogi died in a helicopter crash in 2002. In 2005, Haryana minister O. P. Jindal died while flying in a single-engine helicopter. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy was killed in 2009, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu in 2011, and in 2021 India lost its first Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, along with his wife and others, in a military helicopter crash. Much earlier, in 1963, a single helicopter accident in the Poonch sector wiped out several senior army commanders in one stroke.
Individually, these are called accidents. Taken together, they show a pattern that is hard to ignore.
The O. P. Jindal crash is particularly instructive. He was flying in a single-engine helicopter—an aircraft with no margin if the engine fails. After his death, twin-engine helicopters were made mandatory for VIP travel. This was a sensible reform. However, it also exposed an uncomfortable truth: in India, aviation safety rules are often written only after tragedy strikes. We react, we rarely anticipate.
Weather is another recurring factor. Many VIP flights operate in difficult terrain—hills, forests, remote districts—where weather can change suddenly. Fog, cloud build-up and poor visibility are common, especially for helicopters. Although aviation manuals are clear about limits, political schedules are not. There is always a programme to attend, a rally to address, an “urgent” commitment. Too often the mindset becomes: let us try and see.
This is where pressure on pilots enters the picture. Officially, no pilot is ordered to fly. In practice, the pressure is subtle but real. When a chief minister, governor or senior general is waiting, refusing to fly is never easy. Pilots worry about upsetting powerful passengers, about being seen as over-cautious, even about career consequences. Aviation safety depends on one simple principle: the pilot must be free to say no. Sometimes saying no saves many lives, but that truth is still not fully accepted.
Maintenance is another factor that does not get enough attention. VIP helicopters and aircraft are often heavily used, moving from one engagement to another with little downtime. Tight schedules mean less room for precautionary grounding or extended inspections. Over time, small technical issues accumulate. On paper they look minor; in bad weather or difficult terrain, they turn fatal. Safety is not only about pilot skill, it is equally about disciplined maintenance and independent audits.
India is not alone in this. Across the world, powerful leaders have died in air crashes—UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, presidents and prime ministers from the Philippines, Mozambique, Poland and others. In some cases, these crashes even changed the course of national history. The lesson everywhere is the same: power offers no protection in the air.
I write this as someone who once flew as a hobby flier and held a private pilot’s licence. Flying teaches humility very quickly. The sky does not care about rank. Authority does not improve visibility. Gravity treats everyone equally.
If tragedies like Ajit Pawar’s death are to mean more than mourning, reforms must be taken seriously, not selectively. Pilots must have unquestioned authority to cancel or delay flights. Weather limits for VIP travel should be stricter, not flexible. Twin-engine norms must be enforced without exception. Maintenance has to be independent and uncompromising. And crash investigations must be transparent and timely.
India’s record is long enough to make one thing clear. Rank does not override gravity. Until our systems truly accept this, the skies will keep reminding us—cruelly and repeatedly.
Senior Politicians / Governors / Chief Ministers
Name
Position
Date
Location
Aircraft & Brief Details
Justice Gurnam Singh
Former Chief Minister of Punjab (1967)
May 31, 1973
Delhi, India
Air crash (details limited; occurred while returning from Australia as designated High Commissioner to Australia).
Mohan Kumaramangalam
Union Minister (Steel & Mines, Congress)
May 31, 1973
Near Palam Airport, Delhi, India
Indian Airlines aircraft crash (same day as above; separate incidents confirmed).
Surendra Nath (Surender Nath)
Governor of Punjab (and Himachal Pradesh)
July 9, 1994
Near Kullu (Kamroonag mountains, Mandi district), Himachal Pradesh, India
Beechcraft Super King Air / 14-seater Beechcraft plane from Chandigarh to Kullu crashed into mountain range in bad weather/poor visibility. Killed: Governor + 9 family members + 3 crew (total 13).
Sanjay Gandhi
MP, son of PM Indira Gandhi
June 23, 1980
Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi
Pilot error in Pitts S-2A aerobatic aircraft.
Madhavrao Scindia
Union Minister (Civil Aviation, Congress)
September 30, 2001
Near Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh
Cessna C-90 King Air (engine fire).
G. M. C. Balayogi
Speaker, Lok Sabha
March 3, 2002
Kaikalur, Andhra Pradesh
Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter (mechanical failure + pilot error).
O. P. Jindal
Power Minister, Haryana
March 31, 2005
Near Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Bell 407 helicopter.
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
September 2, 2009
Nallamala Hills, Andhra Pradesh
Bell 430 helicopter (bad weather).
Dorjee Khandu
Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh
April 30, 2011
Sela Pass / Tawang sector, Arunachal Pradesh
Eurocopter AS350 B3 (poor weather + mechanical issues).
Top Army / Armed Forces Officials (Generals & equivalents)
Name
Position
Date
Location
Aircraft & Brief Details
Lt Gen Daulet Singh
GOC-in-C Western Command
November 22, 1963
Poonch sector, Jammu & Kashmir
Indian Air Force helicopter (likely Mi-4 or similar) hit power line/wire while en route to Poonch town. Killed all 6 on board (multiple generals).
Lt Gen Bikram Singh
GOC 15 Corps
November 22, 1963
Poonch sector, Jammu & Kashmir
Same crash as above.
Maj Gen Nalin Kumar Dhirajlal Nanavati
GOC 25 Infantry Division
November 22, 1963
Poonch sector, Jammu & Kashmir
Same crash.
Air Vice Marshal Erlic Pinto
Senior Air Force Officer
November 22, 1963
Poonch sector, Jammu & Kashmir
Same crash (included as top armed forces leadership).
General Bipin Rawat (PVSM, UYSM, etc.)
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS); former Army Chief
December 8, 2021
Near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu
Mi-17V5 helicopter (spatial disorientation in fog/clouds). Wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others also killed.