3 min readRanchiUpdated: Feb 24, 2026 06:07 AM IST
An air ambulance flight from Ranchi to Delhi crashed on Monday evening in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
The aircraft, a Beechcraft C90 (registration: VT-AJV) operated by charter flight operator Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, had seven people on board, including two pilots.
Hazaribagh DIG Anjani Kumar Jha told The Indian Express that no deaths have been confirmed yet in the plane crash. “We cannot confirm it now. The incident has occurred, and we are looking into it. Nothing is final at this stage. No confirmation can be given yet,” he said on Monday night.
He confirmed that seven people were on board the aircraft. “There were two pilots, one patient, two attendants, one doctor and one paramedic. The aircraft was travelling from Ranchi to Delhi. The patient was identified as Sanjay Kumar. He had suffered from burn injuries. His wife was among the passengers,” he said.
According to a statement issued by DGCA, the district administration’s search and rescue team is at the crash location. A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is being dispatched to probe the accident, the regulator said. The DGCA did not comment on any potential casualties in the accident.
The crash comes less than a month after a chartered jet crashed in Maharashtra’s Baramati, claiming the lives of the state’s then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
“There were seven persons on board, including two crew members. The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19.11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19.34 IST, aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM (nautical miles) South-East of Varanasi. District administration search and rescue team is at the location and AAIB team is being dispatched for investigation. Further information will be shared,” the DGCA said in a statement.
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Those on board the aircraft were identified as pilots Capt Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Capt Savrajdeep Singh; the patient, Sanjay Kumar; attendents Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar; a doctor, Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta; and paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra.
According to initial local inputs, the aircraft is suspected to have gone down in the Karmatad forest area near Charki Tongri under Kasari panchayat in Simaria block of Chatra district.
Ranchi Airport PGO Manoj Prasad confirmed the incident, but declined to share further details. “We can’t share the details for now. We are still investigating the matter,” he said.
An airport police officer told The Indian Express that information about the crash had been received, but details were still being verified. “We are gathering details. Senior officers are in touch regarding the incident,” he said.
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As per the website of Redbird Airways, it is a Delhi-based charter and air ambulance operator that received its air operator permit in August 2019. It was founded by an aircraft engineer, Akshay Kumar, who also serves as its managing director and chief executive. Its fleet includes a few small aircraft and helicopters.
