New Delhi, Feb 23 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday that an air ambulance from Ranchi to Delhi with seven on board crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, Jharkhand.
The District Administration search-and-rescue team is at the location, and the AAIB team is being dispatched for investigation. Further information will be shared, said the aviation regulator in a statement.
“On 23.02.2026, Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV operating a medical evacuation (Air Ambulance) flight on the sector “Ranchi-Delhi” crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, in Jharkhand. There were seven persons on board, including two crew members,” the DGCA said.
The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata, at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi.
It was a Beechcraft King Air (BE9L) medical charter flight (operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways) from Ranchi to Delhi. It took off at 7.07 pm and lost contact around 7.34 PM near Palamu in northwestern Jharkhand.
Among the seven on board were 1 patient, 1 doctor, 1 paramedic, 2 attendants, a pilot, and a co-pilot. The rescue operation was on as more details were yet to emerge.
The expected time of landing at Delhi was 10 pm. It lost contact with Air Traffic Control at 7:34 pm.
Meanwhile, the preliminary report on the Learjet 45 plane crash in Baramati, in which NCP leader Ajit Pawar and four others died, will be released on or before February 28, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on Sunday.
Talking to reporters at an event here, Mohol said, "The preliminary report will be out within one month of the occurrence of the accident on January 28, which is on or before February 28."
The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Thursday that "its regulatory bodies remain fully committed to transparency, safety oversight, and accountability. Stakeholders are requested to refrain from speculation and allow the statutory investigation and regulatory processes to proceed in accordance with established procedures."
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