Ranchi, Jharkhand, February 24 : In a devastating tragedy that has sent shockwaves through the aviation sector, a Delhi-bound air ambulance crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district late Monday night, resulting in the death of all seven people on board. The aircraft, a 39-year-old Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was on a medical evacuation mission from Ranchi to Delhi when it went down in the Kasaria Panchayat area.
The incident marks the second fatal crash involving a small aircraft in India within a month, raising urgent questions regarding aviation safety protocols.
The Flight and Last Contact
According to officials, the plane was airborne from Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 7:11 PM. It was carrying a patient, a doctor, a paramedic, two attendants, and two pilots.
Minutes into the flight, the pilots contacted Kolkata air traffic control (ATC). “It is learnt just after climbing to 6,000 feet, the pilots contacted Kolkata ATC to request a ‘weather deviation’—meaning they wanted to change course to avoid bad weather,” a source said. However, soon after establishing contact with Kolkata at 7:34 PM, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.
The wreckage was later discovered in the dense terrain of Chatra district. The District Administration’s search and rescue team immediately rushed to the location.
The Victims: Patient, Medical Team, and Crew
The flight manifest released by authorities confirmed the identities of the seven deceased. The patient was identified as Sanjay Kumar. The medical team on board included the doctor, Dr. Vikash Kumar Gupta, and the paramedic, Sachin Kumar Mishra. They were accompanied by two attendants, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
The cockpit crew comprised Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Captain Savrajdeep Singh. The flight was scheduled to land at the Delhi airport at 10 PM.
Investigation Launched
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been notified and a team is being dispatched to the crash site in Chatra to determine the cause of the crash. Investigators will look into the weather deviation request, the age of the aircraft, and maintenance records.
This is not the first time an air ambulance crash has occurred on a similar route. In May 2011, a Pilatus PC-12 operating as an air ambulance from Patna to Delhi crashed in Faridabad, killing all seven on board and three people on the ground.
Second Crash in a Month
This tragedy comes less than a month after a plane crash at Baramati airport in January, which claimed the lives of five people. The frequency of these incidents has put the spotlight back on the maintenance of vintage aircraft and the challenges faced by general aviation in India.
Search and rescue operations have been concluded, and the focus is now on the recovery of the bodies and the forensic analysis by the AAIB.
