Redbird Airways air ambulance crash kills seven after Ranchi takeoff

Redbird Airways’ Beechcraft C90 air ambulance crashed in a densely forested area of Chatra district, Jharkhand after departing Ranchi, killing all seven people on board, officials said on Feb. 24. The medevac flight had requested a deviation because of adverse weather and lost communication and radar contact shortly after takeoff, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a social-media statement.

Local officials said the aircraft left Ranchi for New Delhi on the evening of Feb. 23 and went missing less than half an hour later. Government and district authorities gave slightly different place names for the wreckage. Deputy commissioner Keerthishree G said the plane crashed in the Bariatu panchayat area of Simaria in Chatra district and that rescue teams later reached the site. The DGCA’s post cited the Kasaria area. Xinhua and local officials placed the crash roughly 110 kilometers north of Ranchi. The site is reported to be deep inside a forest and difficult to access.

Keerthishree G said rescue doctors found the victims and declared them dead. “The team of doctors found them, and declared them dead,” she told reporters, and added, “We have pulled out the bodies and sent them for post-mortem and further investigation.” Authorities recovered all seven bodies overnight and cordoned off the area while investigators worked to reach the wreckage.

Officials and reporting identified the dead as including two crew members, a patient and relatives or medical staff accompanying the patient; manifest details remained incomplete pending official releases. Family members named the patient as Sanjay Kumar. His older brother, Vijay Sau, told reporters, “His condition had become worse so we were taking him to Delhi by air ambulance.” Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi confirmed the transfer had been arranged for a critically ill patient.

The DGCA said the aircraft had requested a change of flight path because of weather and that radar contact was lost within 23 minutes of departure. Officials noted thunderstorms in the region at the time. An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau team has been dispatched to the scene and will lead a formal probe into causes, with technical support and on-site examination of flight data a priority. Investigators caution that complex air-crash inquiries can take months or longer before a probable cause is released.

Government records show Redbird Airways was established in 2018, operates a small fleet and holds permission for non-scheduled operations for charters and medevac work. The company’s Beechcraft C90 was operating as an air ambulance when it crashed. Authorities will seek the aircraft’s registration, maintenance logs, pilot credentials and air-traffic communications as part of the investigation.

The accident comes amid heightened scrutiny of charter and medevac safety after a high-profile Learjet crash last month that killed five people, underscoring regulatory and operational questions about ad hoc medical transfers across India’s interior. Regulators face immediate pressure to reconcile manifest discrepancies, confirm the exact sequence of radio and radar contacts and assess whether weather, human factors, maintenance or other causes contributed.

Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren posted condolences on social media: “I pray for the deceased individuals, including the crew members aboard the plane from Marang Buru (the supreme tribal deity), and for strength to their families during this difficult time.” Authorities said they will release additional details from the AAIB and DGCA as the on-site inquiry progresses.