New Delhi: All seven people on board a medical evacuation flight were killed after an air ambulance crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening. The aircraft was travelling from Ranchi to Delhi when the incident occurred.
The aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, went down near Simariya in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district shortly after taking off from Ranchi airport at 7:11 pm, according to media reports.
In a media statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (registration VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi–Delhi sector. There were seven people on board, including two crew members.
According to the DGCA, the aircraft departed Ranchi at 7:11 pm and later established contact with Kolkata Air Traffic Control (ATC). At around 7:34 pm, the crew requested a deviation due to adverse weather conditions. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata ATC at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.
Local district administration teams launched search and rescue operations at the crash site. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau team is being dispatched to investigate the cause of the accident.
Further details are awaited as authorities continue their probe into the incident.
