In a shocking development, a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi met with disaster shortly after takeoff, crashing into a forested zone in Chatra district, Jharkhand. The DGCA revealed that Redbird Airways’ Beechcraft King Air (VT-EJV), with seven souls aboard, went down in Kasariya Panchayat under Simariya thana limits.
Departing Ranchi at 7:07 PM, the air ambulance lost contact with Kolkata ATC at 7:34 PM near Palamu in northwest Jharkhand. Among the passengers: a critical patient being transported with medical staff—a doctor, paramedic, two attendants—plus pilot and co-pilot.
Alerted by villagers who heard a massive bang and spotted smoke plumes, police and district teams rushed to the crash site in the rugged, jungle-covered terrain. Dense foliage and difficult access are complicating rescue missions, but teams from administration, police, and disaster management are working relentlessly.
The AAIB is en route for forensic analysis, while DGCA’s emergency data systems track every development. Aviation regulators emphasize that further information will follow official channels.
As night falls, the focus remains on locating survivors. This crash raises urgent questions about operational safety in non-scheduled medical flights traversing challenging geographies. Authorities urge restraint from speculation until the investigation concludes, but the aviation community mourns the potential loss and braces for answers.