Seven dead as Redbird Air ambulance crashes in Jharkhand

KATHMANDU: A Redbird Airways air ambulance crashed on Monday evening in Jharkhand’s Chhatra district, killing all seven people on board.

The Beechcraft C90 aircraft was en route from Ranchi to New Delhi carrying a critically ill patient.

According to Deputy Commissioner Kirtishree of Chhatra, the flight was operated by Redbird Airways Pvt. Ltd., based in Delhi

On board were a 41-year-old patient, his companion, a doctor, two medical assistants, and two pilots. No one survived the crash, Indian media outlet Hindustan Times reported.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the aircraft took off from Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi at 7:11 PM.

During the flight, the pilots requested a diversion from Kolkata Air Traffic Control (ATC) due to adverse weather conditions. At 7:34 PM, roughly 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi, the aircraft suddenly lost radar and communication contact.

The last radar sighting was at 7:22 PM over Varanasi. After that, the plane failed to establish contact with either Varanasi or Lucknow ATC.

The deceased patient, Sanjay Kumar, had suffered severe burns in a fire accident, with 63% of his body burned, and was being transported to Delhi for advanced treatment.

Others on board included his companion Vikas Gupta, doctor Sachin Kumar Mishra, medical assistants Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar, and pilots Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savarajdeep Singh.

Ranchi Airport Director Vinod Kumar said bad weather is being considered a possible cause of the crash, though the exact cause will only be determined after a detailed investigation. Official procedures for probing the incident have already begun.

Redbird Airways, founded in 2018 by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, has been operating non-scheduled flights and air ambulance services since 2019, offering 24/7 medical evacuation services.