NEW DELHI: The preliminary report on the February 23 air ambulance accident in Jharkhand stated that a safety equipment sending distress signals was not activated, which is suspected to have delayed rescue operations and resulted in the death of all seven persons onboard.
While the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report shares minute details of the accident, it does not pinpoint the cause.
The twin-turboprop Beechcraft King Air aircraft was operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd. Two pilots, two medical personnel, two attendants and one patient were present on the aircraft.
The report said the aircraft crashed when it was flying from Ranchi to Delhi. “The aircraft crashed at 7.24 pm with all the occupants who sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident. The Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) of the aircraft did not get activated.”
ELT is mandatory on any aircraft and signals are sent from it automatically or manually so that rescue efforts can reach the aircraft immediately, thereby increasing the chances of survival of persons onboard during a mishap.
Elaborating on the incident, the report said the aircraft refueled with 830 litres of fuel at Ranchi airport and taxied for departure from the runway 31.It took off at 7.07 pm (1337 UTC). The aircraft’s assigned route was W109 on a specific track (297) but the crew requested permission from ATC Ranchi to continue on a different track (313) due to weather conditions. After departing from Ranchi, it requested ATC Kolkata for a deviation request to bring the flight to a specific level, FL 140, which was approved.
“At 7.19 pm, ATC Kolkata asked the aircraft to report when it got in touch with Varanasi which the aircraft acknowledged. This was the last VHF communication between aircraft and ATC Kolkata,” it said, adding, “Thereafter, no transmission from VT-AJV was received by ATC Kolkata.”
The ATC tried to contact but received no response and hence the rescue coordinated centre “activated the Uncertainty Phase” at 7.58 pm, the report said. The district administration was shortly alerted about the accident by locals. However, all occupants were found dead by rescue teams.
The Pilot in Command had totally 1600 hours of flying experience while the First Officer had 300 hours, the AAIB said. Both had more than 24 hours rest before they flew the first leg of the same flight from Delhi to Ranchi. They reported no snag after the flight reached Ranchi safely.
Elaborating on the wreckage, the report said the debris was scattered within a kilometer from the main wreckage spot. “The nose section had collapsed and the nose avionics bay along with the cockpit area was completely destroyed. The fuselage was found fractured at multiple locations along its length. The wing tips of both Left Hand and Right Hand wings were found broken/separated from the wing structure. The cockpit was heavily damaged.
“The empennage (tail assembly) of the aircraft was found separated from the main fuselage and broken into pieces which were found scattered between 200 and 600 metres from the main wreckage. Both the engines were found separated from the wing.
The report said the aircraft, which was reissued its First Certificate of Airworthiness on July20, 2001, was neither equipped with the Cockpit Voice Recorder nor the Flight Data Recorder. The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, had specified after the accident that it was not mandatory for planes which had registered earlier.
Elaborating on the progress of the investigation, the report said, “The aircraft wreckage has been shifted to a secure location for further detailed examination.”
