Who was Pinky Mali, flight attendant who died in Pawar's plane crash
Pinky Mali, a 29-year-old flight attendant, lost her life along with four others in a plane crash at Baramati airport on Wednesday morning, January 28, 2026.
The aircraft, identified in some reports as a Learjet 45, carrying Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and others, went down during its second landing attempt after the pilot aborted the first attempt due to poor visibility.
Authorities are still investigating what went wrong.
Her journey in aviation
Mali had worked as a flight attendant for several years—starting with Air India before moving to VIP charter flights.
She had flown with Ajit Pawar multiple times before.
She lived with her husband, Somvikar Saini.
Family's loss and call for answers
Mali's family is devastated by her sudden passing. Her father last spoke to her the evening before the crash and learned about the accident from news reports.
Her mother, who spoke to Pinky every morning without fail, is especially shaken and wants a thorough investigation into how this happened.