Jharkhand Air Ambulance Crash: All Seven on Board Lose Lives Amid Medical Transfer Mission
In a heartbreaking aviation tragedy, all seven people aboard a medical air ambulance were killed when the aircraft crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The Beechcraft C90 plane, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt. Ltd., was on a medical transfer mission from Ranchi to Delhi when it went down near Simaria on Monday evening.
According to authorities, the aircraft departed from Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi, around 7:11 pm but lost radar and communication contact with air traffic control roughly 20–23 minutes later. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the pilots had requested a route deviation shortly before the disappearance, likely due to inclement weather conditions in the area.
Rescue teams later located the wreckage in a forested patch of the Bariatu Panchayat area and recovered the bodies of all seven occupants. Among the deceased were two pilots, a critically injured burn patient being rushed to Delhi for specialised treatment, a doctor, a paramedic, and accompanying relatives.
Local residents recalled hearing a “loud, strange sound” moments before the aircraft fell from the sky amid what appeared to be thunderstorm activity.
The Deputy Commissioner of Chatra district, Keerthishree G, confirmed that all seven were killed on impact and that their remains have been sent for post-mortem examinations.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), supported by the DGCA, has launched a detailed probe into the crash. While preliminary signs point to adverse weather as a key factor, officials caution that determining the exact cause will take time and a thorough investigation.
This incident marks a somber reminder of the dangers faced by emergency medical flights operating in challenging conditions, underscoring the need for stringent safety protocols and weather monitoring in critical air services.
