Shambhavi Pathak Age, Death, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Captain Shambhavi Pathak
Nick Name	Cheeni
Profession	Pilot
Known for	Pilot who died in plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 6" (168 cm)
Eye Colour	Light Brown
Hair Colour	Light Ash Brown
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 2000
Birthplace	Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Date of Death	28 January 2026 (Wednesday)
Place of Death	Baramati, Maharashtra, India
Age (at the time of death)	25 Years
Death Cause	Aircraft Crash
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
School	• Air Force Vidya Bharti School, Gwalior • Air Force Bal Bharati School, New Delhi
College/University	• New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy, Wanganui, New Zealand • University of Mumbai, Mumbai
Educational Qualification	A bachelor of science in Aeronautics, Aviation, Aerospace Science and Technology (2020-2022) from University of Mumbai
Religion	Hinduism
Social Media	LinkedIn
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- Vikaram Pathak (Retired Air Force Pilot) Mother- Rolly Pathak (Teacher)
Siblings	Brother- Varun Pathak (Indian Navy) Sister- None
Other Relative	Grandfather- Shrikishan Pathak (Retired Wing Commander) Grandmother- Meera Pathak

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shambhavi Pathak

• Shambhavi Pathak was born in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

• She studied until class 5 at Air Force Vidya Bharti School in Gwalior, and then she moved to New Delhi following her father’s transfer.

• Pathak grew up in a military household; her father is a retired Air Force pilot, her mother serves as a teacher at Air Force Bal Bharti School in New Delhi, and her grandfather was a retired Wing Commander from the Indian Air Force.

• Shambhavi was a brilliant student since childhood. She showed a great interest in subjects like science and technology. Her teacher described her as a dedicated student with a clear goal since young age.

• In 2018, Shambhavi took her pilot training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy, which is one of the top flight training institutes in the world.

• In January 2019, she achieved her International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) English Proficiency Level 6, which is the highest level of aviation English proficiency.

• In November 2019, she earned her Commercial Pilot License (CPL) from the Aviation Authority of New Zealand. This international license is also accepted in India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), so she was allowed to operate flights in India.

• In May 2020, she earned a Frozen Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) from the DGCA.

• From June 2020 to July 2022, Shambhavi completed her bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics, Aviation, Aerospace Science, and Technology from the University of Mumbai.

• Before joining commercial charter operations, she worked as an assistant flying instructor at the Madhya Pradesh Flying Club.

• In February 2022, she underwent Jet Orientation Training for Airbus A320 from Jordan Airline Training and Simulation.

• In March 2022, Pathak completed Aviation Security (AVSEC) training with SpiceJet Airlines.

• In August 2022, Shambhavi Pathak joined VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd, a Delhi-based charter aviation company. At VSR, she joined as a First Officer, the second in command position, responsible for assisting the captain in all flight operations.

• Her responsibilities included monitoring flight instruments, communicating with air traffic control, and sharing flying duties with the senior captain.

• AT VSR Venture, she got experience on the Learjet 45, operating high-responsibility charter flights. She also completed her 1,500 flying hours across various chartered flights.

• On 28 January 2026, Shambhavi Pathak was serving as First Officer on a Learjet 45 aircraft, carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, fellow pilot-in-Command Captain Sumit Kapoor with over 16,000 flying hours of experience, and a cabin crew member Pinky Mali. The jet was scheduled to land at Baramati Airport near Pune.

• Approximately 20 kilometers away from Baramati Airport, in a mountainous region, the aircraft stopped transmitting tracking signals. Shambhabi and her fellow pilot-in-command made an initial approach to the runway but missed it. They then attempted a second approach. Unfortunately, during this second attempt, the aircraft skidded off the runway and caught fire. Tragically, all five people on board lost their lives in the crash.
  

  Crash site in Baramati, Maharashtra, where the aircraft co-piloted by Shambhavi Pathak met with an accident

• The DGCA immediately launched a detailed investigation of the crash and examined the multiple factor incliding waether conditions, communication records between pilots and air traffic control, aircraft maintenance logs, and other operational procedures.

• The post-mortems of Shambhavi Pathak and her co-pilot, Captain Sumit Kapoor, were conducted at the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Medical College in Baramati. After the procedure, their bodies were released to their respective families.

• Shambhavi Pathak was unmarried at the time of her death. One of her neighbours revealed that Pathak’s mother was looking for a suitable match for her.