RANCHI: All seven people on board a medical evacuation flight were killed after an air ambulance crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening, minutes after taking off from Ranchi for Delhi.
The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C-90 aircraft (VT-AJV) went down in Kasariya Panchayat under Simariya block at around 7:30 pm. The aircraft was ferrying a critically injured patient and his family members to Delhi for advanced medical treatment.
Chatra Superintendent of Police Sumit Kumar Agarwal confirmed the fatalities. "We got information around 10 pm that an accident had taken place... Getting there was difficult considering the terrain... The Delhi team will come here for investigation and try to recover the black box... All seven people onboard have been killed," said the SP.
According to officials, two crew members and five passengers — including the patient and his family members were on board.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G said preliminary findings indicate bad weather as the likely cause of the crash. "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 informed.
She added that while prima facie evidence points to a weather-related incident, the exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation by aviation authorities.
Sources said the weather deteriorated suddenly on Monday evening, with strong winds and heavy rain lashing the region. The aircraft reportedly deviated from its planned route before losing its way. Villagers in the area said they heard a loud explosion from the nearby forest around 7:45 pm.
The patient has been identified as Sanjay Kumar, a businessman from Chandwa, who had suffered 65 per cent burns six days earlier following a short circuit at his Line Hotel in Palamu. He had slipped and caught fire during the incident and was undergoing treatment at Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi. As his condition worsened, his family decided to shift him to Delhi for better treatment. He is survived by his two sons, Shubham (17) and Shivam (13).
According to family members, Rs 8 lakh had already been paid to the air ambulance service, while Rs 2.5 lakh remained outstanding. It is alleged that the company refused to operate the flight until the remaining amount was cleared. The family reportedly returned to Chandwa to arrange the balance from an acquaintance and paid the remaining amount before the aircraft departed.
The aircraft took off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST and later lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi. The last known position of the aircraft was around 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.
Aviation authorities are expected to conduct a detailed probe, and a team from Delhi will visit the crash site to investigate the circumstances leading to the tragedy.