Jharkhand Air Ambulance Crash: 7 Dead After Beechcraft C90 Goes Down in Chatra

All seven people on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening amid a thunderstorm, officials said.

Superintendent of Police Sumit Kumar Agarwal confirmed the fatalities. “We got information around 10 that an accident has happened… Getting here was difficult considering the terrain… The Delhi team will come here for investigation and try to recover the black box… Total number of deaths is seven,” he told ANI.

Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G said the crash was likely caused by bad weather. “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 said.

She added that, prima facie, the accident appears to have been caused by bad weather. The exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation by aviation authorities.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft, registration VT-AJV, was operating a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it crashed in Kasariya Panchayat in Simariya block of Chatra district around 7:30 pm.

The aircraft took off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata, it requested deviation due to weather. At 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south east of Varanasi.

In a press note, the DGCA said, “After establishing contact with Kolkata, the aircraft requested 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 at Ranchi Airport said the flight had established contact with the next station before communication was lost. The state authorities were informed and standard operating procedures were followed.

A team from Delhi is expected to reach the crash site to conduct a detailed probe and recover the black box. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been dispatched to investigate the incident.

Further investigation is underway.