All seven people on board were feared dead as an air ambulance transporting a burn victim from Ranchi to New Delhi crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday night, in the latest safety crisis to hit India’s aviation sector.
The number of casualties could not be confirmed as the accident site was deep in the forest, Chatra deputy commissioner Keerthishree G told PTI.
The aircraft, a Beechcraft C90 operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways, took off from Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi at 7:11 PM, according to a statement by aviation regulator DGCA. After establishing contact with Kolkata, at 7:34 PM, the aircraft , with the tail number VT-AJV , lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi, and shortly after that, the plane went down in the forest near Simaria.
Redbird Airways, owned by Akshay Yadav, was established in 2018 and received its permit to serve non-scheduled flights in 2019, according to its website. It has six planes in the fleet, including the one which crashed on Monday evening., as per the DGCA website.
The crash intensifies the scrutiny of chartered jet operators and the regulatory framework that is supposed to govern them. The January 28 Baramati crash involving a Learjet 45 aircraft that claimed the lives of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others had sparked calls for an independent probe with the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis the latest to seek a CBI investigation on Sunday.
DGCA had earlier announced that it was conducting special audits of all non-scheduled operators, but the reports have not been publically released. Nor has it released the report on the findings of its investigation into the operator of the Learjet that crashed, VSR Ventures.
This is also the third fatal civilian aviation incident since June, when an Air India Boeing Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedbad airport. The final report on the crash, too, has not yet been released.
Who was on board?
Those on board included the 41-year-old patient Sanjay Kumar, who sustained 63% burn injuries and was being shifted from Ranchi’s Devkamal Hospital and Research Centre, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta , paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra, two attendants Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar, and two crew members Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh, both captains.
Inclement weather could be a reason behind the crash, but the actual reason will be ascertained only after a probe, Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said.
Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients as the family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment. “The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm,” he said.
Former chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren in a post on X said he was deeply saddened by the news of the air ambulance crash at Simaria. “I pray for the safe recovery of all 7 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,” he posted.
Article source: hindustantimes.com
