Debt-ridden hope crashed from the skies in Jharkhand when an air ambulance bound for Delhi nosedived into Chatra’s rugged landscape, snuffing out seven promising lives. Sanjay Kumar, fighting for survival after a fiery ordeal, became the tragic centerpiece of this airborne disaster.
The 41-year-old from Latehar’s Chandwa saw his dhaba business incinerated on February 16, leaving him with severe 65% burns. Five days at Ranchi’s Devkamal Hospital yielded no miracles. Desperate, family sourced 8 lakh in loans for Red Bird Airways’ air ambulance to Delhi.
Monday’s 7:10 PM departure from Ranchi included Sanjay, spouse Archana Devi, nephew Dhruv Kumar, pilots, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta—the critical care anesthesia whiz from Sadar Hospital—and paramedic Sachin Mishra. Just 23 minutes later, at 7:34 PM, ATC communications severed. The craft smashed into Simaria, obliterating all aboard.
Dr. Gupta, Bihar-born and Jharkhand-based, supported his SBI banker wife and 8-year-old boy. His loss reverberates through Ranchi’s medical circles. As black boxes are scrutinized for clues—engine failure? Pilot error?—relatives recount the frantic fundraising.
‘We sold everything, begged everyone,’ one family member wept. This incident spotlights the precarious lifeline of air ambulances in India’s heartland, where poor infrastructure forces such gambles. With seven funerals pending, the nation questions: How safe are these flying ICUs? Official inquiries promise clarity, but grief endures.