Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI: All seven people on board a Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday night, officials said.Confirming the fatalities, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G said all those on board had died in the crash.The Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd was flying a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it went down in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district shortly after takeoff. The aircraft had taken off from Ranchi at 7.11 pm and was expected to land in Delhi around 10 pm. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, “On 23.02.2026 Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV operating medical evacuation (Air Ambulance) flight on sector “Ranchi-Delhi” 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 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata, aircraft requested for deviation due to weather, at 19:34 IST aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi. The District Administration search and rescue team is at the location and the AAIB team is being dispatched for investigation. Further information will be shared.” Officials said the pilots had sought a “weather deviation” after climbing to about 6,000 feet, indicating an attempt to avoid adverse weather conditions, before contact was lost. The seven on board included patient Sanjay Kumar, doctor Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta, paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra, attendants Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar, and pilots Captains Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh. District administration teams reached the crash site for search and rescue operations. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been dispatched to probe the cause of the crash. The incident marks the second small aircraft crash within a month. On January 28, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others died in a plane crash at Baramati airport. In May 2011, a Pilatus PC-12 air ambulance flying from Patna to Delhi crashed in Faridabad, killing seven people on board and three on the ground.
