A Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance with seven people on board crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand's Chatra district, Ranchi airport Director Vinod Kumar said. The crash occurred after the air ambulance, operating as flight VTAJV, took off from Ranchi airport at about 7.10 pm, the official said. Search and rescue teams have been dispatched, but there was no immediate confirmation about casualties, officials said.
It was a medical flight carrying seven people on board—one patient, one doctor, one paramedic, two attendants, the pilot-in-command (PIC), and a co-pilot. However, an eyewitness claimed that all those on board the air ambulance died in the crash, stating that all the bodies were found inside the aircraft at the site of the incident.
Details of passengers
The air ambulance was transporting 41-year-old Sanjay Kumar, who had suffered critical burn injuries. He had been admitted to Dev Kamal Hospital and was being shifted by air for further treatment. In addition to the patient, six other people were on board: Ritesh Kumar, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Archana Devi, and Dhuru Kumar, comprising a doctor, a paramedical staff member, two attendants, and the flight crew.
The ill-fated air ambulance belonged to Red Bird Airways. Contact with air traffic control was lost at 7:34 pm. The pilot-in-command was Vivek Vikash Bhagat, with Savrajdeep Singh as the co-pilot.
The possibility of adverse weather conditions or a technical malfunction is being considered as a potential cause of the incident.
Contact lost after takeoff
According to airport sources, the chartered medical aircraft had taken off from Ranchi and initially established contact with the next air traffic control station. However, after control was handed over, communication with the aircraft was lost. The plane did not make any further contact with Ranchi Airport. "The state authorities have been informed and all necessary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are being followed," airport sources told news agency. Sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also confirmed that the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after take-off.
