Baramati Plane Crash: The Heartbreaking Story of Flight Attendant Pinky Mali's Unfulfilled Promise
The tragic Baramati plane crash that claimed five lives has left behind stories of unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams. Among the victims was flight attendant Pinky Mali, who had made a simple yet poignant promise to her father that would never be kept.
The Promise That Will Never Be Kept
Pinky Mali, who accompanied Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on the fateful Mumbai-Baramati flight, had assured her father Shivkumar Mali that she would call him after safely landing in Baramati. That moment of connection between father and daughter will now remain forever unrealized, as the Learjet 45 aircraft operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures crashed during landing at Baramati airport, killing all occupants.
"Pappa, I am flying to Baramati tomorrow with DCM Ajit Pawar. After dropping him, I will go to Nanded and will speak to you once I reach the hotel," Shivkumar Mali recounted his daughter's words during their last conversation. The resident of Prabhadevi in Central Mumbai added with emotion, "I told her 'let us speak tomorrow after your duty'. But that tomorrow will never come."
A Father's Grief and Political Connections
Shivkumar Mali, his voice filled with emotion and eyes welling up, described how he learned about the tragedy. A local politician named Samadhan Sarvankar informed him about Ajit Pawar's plane crash. "I switched on the television. The news left me shocked," he said, still processing the devastating information.
The father, who is also an activist of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that Pawar headed, revealed that Pinky had flown with numerous dignitaries during her career. She had accompanied the President, chief ministers, and several political leaders, and this was her fourth flight with Ajit Pawar specifically.
Pinky's Career and Political Advocacy
Pinky Mali had been working as a flight attendant for the last five years, beginning her career with Air India before transitioning to private chartered flights. Their last meeting occurred on January 16 when she visited Prabhadevi from Thane to cast her vote.
Shivkumar shared an interesting anecdote about his daughter's political advocacy. "During a recent flight with Ajit Pawar, my daughter complained to him that he was travelling across Maharashtra but was not paying attention to NCP activists," he said. When Pawar asked why she felt this way, Pinky explained that her father had been an NCP worker for 35 years.
This interaction prompted a call from the deputy CM's side, though Shivkumar missed it while driving. "Then I got a message that Pawar wanted to speak to me," he recalled. That anticipated conversation, like Pinky's promised call, will now never happen.
Rushing to the Tragedy Site
Upon learning about the accident, Shivkumar and his family immediately rushed to Baramati. Besides Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and flight attendant Pinky Mali, the other victims have been identified as Vidip Jadhav, Captain Shambhavi Pathak, and Captain Sumit Kapur.
The Learjet 45 aircraft involved in this tragedy had previously faced a similar crash landing incident at Mumbai airport in 2023, adding another layer of concern to the investigation that will follow this devastating accident.
As investigations continue into the causes of the crash, the human stories emerging from this tragedy remind us of the personal connections and unfulfilled promises left behind. Pinky Mali's story particularly highlights how ordinary moments of planned communication between family members can become tragically significant when cut short by unforeseen circumstances.
