Air ambulance en route to Delhi crashes in Ranchi, all seven onboard killed
Initial reports mentioned only one death, but Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G later confirmed that everyone on board was killed in the accident near Simaria.
PTC News Desk: All seven people travelling in an air ambulance from Ranchi to Delhi have died after the aircraft crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday night.
Initial reports mentioned only one death, but Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G later confirmed that everyone on board was killed in the accident near Simaria. “All seven on board the air ambulance were killed in the crash,” the senior official said.
The victims have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, the pilot-in-command, and Captain Savrajdeep Singh, the co-pilot. The medical team and passengers were identified as Sanjay Kumar (41), the patient; Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar, attendants; Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta; and Sachin Kumar Mishra, paramedic.
A Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV), operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was on a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district soon after takeoff. The flight left Ranchi at 7:11 pm and was expected to reach Delhi at around 10 pm.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at 7:34 pm, about 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi. The Civil Aviation Ministry’s investigation wing, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), will visit RedBird Aviation’s Delhi office and is likely to collect documents linked to the crashed plane.
Officials are also expected to seize safety audit reports and other important records related to RedBird’s operations and the aircraft involved.