Air ambulance from Ranchi crashes in Jharkhand; 7 on board, contact lost after weather deviation

A medical evacuation flight operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on February 23 evening after disappearing from radar shortly after takeoff from Ranchi, according to sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The Beechcraft C90 aircraft, bearing registration VT-AJV, was operating an air ambulance flight on the Ranchi–Delhi sector. There were seven people on board, including two crew members.

According to DGCA sources, the aircraft took off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. Initial contact was established with Kolkata Air Traffic Control. During the flight, the pilot requested a deviation due to adverse weather conditions. At 19:34 IST, communication and radar contact with Kolkata were lost. The last known position of the aircraft was approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.

Sources at Ranchi Airport said that after takeoff, contact was established with the next station and subsequently handed over, following standard procedure. However, communication was lost thereafter, and the aircraft did not re-establish contact with Ranchi. The state authorities were immediately informed, and all standard operating procedures (SOPs) were initiated.

The aircraft later crashed in Kasariya Panchayat under Simariya block of Chatra district in Jharkhand. Details regarding casualties or survivors were not immediately available at the time of filing this report.

The DGCA is expected to launch a formal investigation into the crash, focusing on weather conditions, communication logs, and flight data to ascertain the cause of the accident.