Chatra air ambulance crash leaves seven aboard dead in Jharkhand forest
Chatra air ambulance crash leaves seven aboard dead in Jharkhand forest
Seven people aboard a Beechcraft air ambulance crash in Chatra, Jharkhand, minutes after taking off from Ranchi to Delhi, raising questions about flight safety and timely medical care.
In Jharkhand, a Beechcraft King Air C90 air ambulance carrying seven people crashed in the forests near Chatra minutes after taking off from Ranchi at 7:11 pm, heading toward Delhi. The flight was arranged to transfer a patient, Sanjay Kumar, 41, who had suffered 63% burn injuries, to Delhi for specialized treatment after funds were pooled by his family to cover the cost of air transport.
The crash occurred as the aircraft went down in the forested area of Bariatu Panchayat in Simaria, with rescuers later retrieving the bodies and bringing them to Chatra Sadar Hospital. The seven onboard were identified as Sanjay Kumar; his wife Archana Devi; a relative, Dhuru Kumar; physician Vikas Kumar Gupta; paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra; and two pilots, Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh.
Residents from nearby villages were among the first at the scene, trekking about 4 km through the forest to reach the wreckage. Families of the victims said that if better treatment had been available locally in Ranchi, the journey to Delhi might not have been necessary, highlighting the broader access issues faced by families seeking advanced medical care.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft established contact with Kolkata air traffic control at 7:34 pm before communication, radar contact, and radar monitoring were lost. Redbird Airways, which operated the Beechcraft, had a non-scheduled flight permit since 2019, and its fleet reportedly consisted of six planes. Ranchi airport authorities suggested bad weather could have contributed to the incident, though the exact cause will emerge only after a full probe.
The crash adds to growing concerns about civilian aviation safety in India and the risks involved in last-mile medical transport, prompting calls for a transparent investigation and stronger safety checks for air ambulance operators.
