On Monday evening, a tragic aviation accident occurred in Jharkhand. A Ranchi-Delhi medical evacuation flight crashed deep inside a forest. The Ranchi air ambulance crash incident happened in the Bariatu or Kasaria Panchayat area of Simaria, located in the Chatra district. Authorities confirmed that all seven people on board lost their lives.
Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd operated the Beechcraft C90 aircraft, registered as VT-AJV. The Delhi-based non-scheduled operator currently holds six aircraft in its fleet. The air ambulance took off from Ranchi airport at 07:11 PM IST / 06:41 PM PKT.
Shortly after takeoff, the crew established contact with Kolkata air traffic control. However, at 07:34 PM IST / 07:04 PM PKT, the pilots requested a route deviation due to weather conditions. Subsequently, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi.
Search and rescue teams from the district administration successfully reached the site and retrieved all seven bodies. Officials identified the deceased crew and passengers as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi, Dhuru Kumar, and the patient, Sanjay Kumar.
Sanjay Kumar, a 41-year-old resident of Chandwa, suffered 65 percent burn injuries earlier this month. Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi treated him starting February 16. On Monday, his family arranged the air ambulance to transfer him to Delhi for better treatment. He left the hospital around 04:30 PM IST / 04:00 PM PKT before boarding the fatal flight.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is immediately dispatching a team to probe the crash site. Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar stated that inclement weather might have caused the disaster. Ultimately, investigators will determine the exact cause after a thorough probe.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Champai Soren expressed his grief online over the incident. He prayed to Marang Buru, the supreme tribal deity, for the deceased individuals and their grieving families.