A Delhi-bound air ambulance crashed shortly after take-off from Ranchi on Monday night, claiming the lives of all seven people on board. The Beechcraft C90, registered as VT-AJV and operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was on a medical evacuation flight to the national capital when it went down in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, Jharkhand.
The aircraft had reportedly climbed to 6,000 feet when the pilots contacted Kolkata air traffic control seeking a weather deviation, indicating an attempt to alter course to avoid adverse conditions. Soon after, contact with the aircraft was lost.
DGCA outlines sequence of events
In an official press note, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi–Delhi sector on February 23, 2026.
According to the regulator, the aircraft became airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After contacting Kolkata ATC, the crew requested a weather-related deviation. At approximately 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost both communication and radar contact with Kolkata ATC.
"On 23.02.2026 Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV operating medical evacuation (Air Ambulance) flight on sector "Ranchi-Delhi" crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, in Jharkhand. 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, aircraft requested for deviation due to weather, at 19:34 IST aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi, DGCA stated.
"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," the DGCA added.
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Press Note on Crash of Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV@MoCA_GoI pic.twitter.com/gmrbij1hjN
— DGCA (@DGCAIndia) February 23, 2026
An investigation into the cause of the crash has been initiated, with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team being sent to the site.
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Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Captain Savrajdeep Singh were flying the aircraft. According to the flight manifest, the aircraft was carrying patient Sanjay Kumar, along with doctor Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta, paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra, and two attendants, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar. The flight was expected to land in Delhi at around 10 pm.
This is the second small aircraft crash in a month. In May 2011, a Pilatus PC-12 operating as an air ambulance from Patna to Delhi had crashed in Faridabad, killing seven people on board and three on the ground.
