Disaster struck minutes after a Ranchi-bound air ambulance lifted off, crashing in Jharkhand’s Chatra and erasing seven lives in an instant. Operated by Redbird Airways, the Beechcraft C90 was ferrying a critical patient to Delhi when it disappeared from radar, sparking a frantic response from aviation watchdogs.
Boarding the ill-fated flight were skilled aviators Captain Vivek Vikas Bilagat and Captain Sandeep Singh, plus medical team members: Sanjay Kumar (patient), attendants Archana Devi and Dhruv Kumar, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, and paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra. The aircraft had just handed over to Kolkata control before going dark southeast of Varanasi ATC jurisdiction.
Local accounts from Simaria’s Kasaria Panchayat describe a violent descent, scattering debris like propellers across fields. DGCA sources verified the radar blackout right after takeoff at 7:11 PM. Jharkhand’s emergency machinery mobilized swiftly, with police and admin teams securing the site.
An AAIB squad is en route for forensic analysis, probing weather anomalies, technical glitches, or pilot error. This crash intensifies scrutiny on India’s growing air ambulance sector, where demand outpaces infrastructure. Affected families cling to hope for closure, as experts call for mandatory upgrades in fleet maintenance and training.
The aviation landscape reels from this loss, compelling a reevaluation of protocols to prevent future heartbreaks in missions meant to preserve life.