Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance crashes in Jharkhand’s Chatra, all seven on board killed

A tragic air ambulance crash occurred in Jharkhand's Chatra district, killing all seven people on board, including two crew members.

Speaking to ANI, SP Sumit Kumar Agarwal confirmed the number of deaths. "We got information around 10 that an accident has happened... Getting here was difficult considering the terrain... The Delhi team will come here for investigation and try to recover the black box... Total number of deaths is seven," he said.



As per the official statement released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV was operating a medical evacuation (Air Ambulance) flight on the Ranchi-Delhi route, which crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, in Jharkhand.

"There were seven persons on board, including two crew members. The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 7:11 PM. After establishing contact with Kolkata, at 7:34 PM aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi," the official statement said.

District Administration search and rescue team has reached the location, and the AAIB team is being dispatched for investigation. The authorities will share further information on the plane crash.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G said the crash was likely caused by a thunderstorm.

"It crashed due to a thunderstorm... Unfortunately, the team of doctors found them dead. The total number of people is seven. Two were crew members, and the remaining five were a patient and the patient's family members," she said.

The Deputy Commissioner added that, prima facie, the accident appears to have been caused by bad weather, but the exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation by the aviation authorities.

Jharkhand Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari informed that security agencies and local administration are on high alert. In a post on X, he wrote that search and rescue operations have been intensified in the probable area.

A short while after takeoff, the weather deteriorated, after which the aircraft lost contact with ATC, Ansari said.

"No official confirmation of any kind has been made yet...I have directed the concerned officials to take immediate necessary action and deploy every possible resource. Our priority is the safe recovery of all passengers...The state government is closely monitoring the situation with utmost seriousness," Ansari added.

A medical flight took off from the Ranchi Airport on Monday, soon after which it disappeared from the radar, as reported by ANI, citing sources from the DGCA. Airport authorities informed the government about the same, and necessary steps were being followed.

"A medical flight took off. Its contact was established with the next station, then the control was handed over to the next station. After this contact was lost. The plane did not contact the Ranchi Airport. The State has been informed about this. All necessary SOPs are being followed," sources from the Ranchi Airport said.