Seven killed as Ranchi–Delhi air ambulance crashes in Jharkhand forest

All seven people on board a Ranchi–Delhi air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed in a forested stretch of Jharkhand’s Chatra district on February 23 evening, triggering a major rescue operation and an aviation probe.

The aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, had taken off from Ranchi at 7.11 pm when it went down under circumstances that remain unclear.

Those killed in the crash include:

• Capt Vivek Vikas Bhagat
• Capt Savrajdeep Singh
• Patient Sanjay Kumar
• Attendants Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar
• Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta
• Paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra

The flight was transporting Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, who had suffered 65 per cent burn injuries and was being shifted to Delhi for advanced treatment.

According to aviation officials, the aircraft became airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata Air Traffic Control at 19:34 IST, the aircraft subsequently lost communication and radar contact approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.

Earlier, Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar told PTI that the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control around 20 minutes after takeoff.

Sanjay Kumar had been admitted to hospital on February 16 with critical burn injuries. With his condition serious, family members decided to transfer him to Delhi for specialized care. An air ambulance was arranged, and he left the hospital around 4.30 pm on February 23.

Initial local inputs indicate the aircraft crashed in the Karmatad forest area near Charki Tongri under Kasari panchayat in Simaria block of Chatra district. The rugged terrain complicated immediate access to the crash site.

Delhi-based Redbird Airways is a charter and air ambulance operator that received its air operator permit in August 2019. Founded by aircraft engineer Akshay Kumar, who serves as managing director and CEO, the company operates a small fleet of aircraft and helicopters for medical evacuation and charter services.

District administration teams reached the crash site soon after the incident. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is dispatching a team to conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the crash, officials said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that a formal probe has been initiated.

The tragedy marks one of the deadliest air ambulance crashes in the region in recent years, raising fresh questions over flight safety, weather conditions, and technical reliability in critical medical evacuation operations.