Seven killed as Ranchi air ambulance crashes in Jharkhand after losing contact. DGCA, AAIB launch probe into cause. Photo: ANI.
Ranchi Air Ambulance Crash: Seven people, including a critically ill patient, two pilots, medical personnel and attendants, were killed after an air ambulance travelling from Ranchi to New Delhi crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday night. The aircraft, which was expected to land in the national capital by around 10 pm, went down before reaching its destination.
According to officials, the chartered Beechcraft C90 aircraft operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd took off from Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 7:11 pm.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft established contact with Kolkata air traffic control and later requested a deviation due to weather conditions. However, at approximately 7:34 pm, the air ambulance lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata when it was about 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.
After contact was lost, the aircraft did not communicate with either Varanasi or Lucknow air traffic control units. A radar replay conducted in Varanasi later indicated that the last radar contact had been recorded at 7:22 pm.
According to reports, the aircraft had successfully established communication with the next station after take-off and control was handed over, but subsequent contact could not be re-established.
“After this contact was lost. The plane did not contact the Ranchi Airport,” an official told agencies.
The aircraft later crashed in a forested area near Simaria in Jharkhand.
Authorities received information about the crash around 10 pm, and the incident was formally reported at about 10:20 pm. All seven occupants on board, including the pilot, co-pilot, patient and medical staff, were declared dead shortly afterwards.
Chatra Superintendent of Police Sumit Kumar said the rescue effort was complicated due to the terrain.
“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 told ANI.
The deceased were identified as:
Sanjay Kumar (41), the patient being transported for treatment after suffering 63 per cent burn injuries
Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta
Paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra
Attendants Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar
Crew members Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh, both captains
The DGCA has initiated a formal probe into the crash, while a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has also visited the accident site.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said adverse weather conditions could have been a contributing factor, but stressed that the exact cause would only be known after a detailed investigation.
Inclement weather could be a reason behind the crash. However, the actual reason will be determined only after an investigation, he said earlier, according to reports.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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