An air ambulance carrying seven people crashed in Jharkhand, an eastern state in India, on Monday evening, prompting a multi-agency investigation into the cause of the tragedy. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that the aircraft had taken off at 7:11 p.m. Indian Standard Time and lost communication and radar contact approximately 23 minutes later.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, contact had been established briefly before communication was lost completely. The aircraft was operating as a medical evacuation flight to the country’s capital, Delhi, when it went down.
The passenger manifest showed two pilots, one patient, two attendants, one doctor, and one paramedic on board at the time of the crash.
Medical Transfer Underway
The patient, a 41-year-old man, had reportedly sustained 63 percent burn injuries in an earlier accident and had been receiving treatment in an intensive care unit. He was being transported to Delhi for advanced medical care when the air ambulance crashed.
The aircraft involved was a Beechcraft C90 operated by Redbird Airways Private Limited and registered as Victor Tango Alpha Juliet Victor. Civil aviation sources stated that the aircraft did not carry cockpit voice recorders or flight data recorders because regulations do not mandate such equipment for aircraft with a maximum take-off weight below 5,700 kilograms.
Investigation and Recovery Efforts Continue
Teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau reached the crash site soon after the incident. Officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau collected documents and key evidence from the wreckage and stated that further examination would continue in the following days.
A local police officer informed reporters that villagers had reported seeing the aircraft lose balance moments before impact. The officer added that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau would analyze collected evidence and witness statements before issuing findings. Authorities confirmed that recovery operations had concluded and postmortem examinations of all victims had been completed.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated that further updates would be shared as the investigation into the air ambulance crash progresses.
