Jharkhand plane crash: Who were the two pilots flying the Ranchi-Delhi doomed aircraft?

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.

Who were the pilots?

The aircraft was being flown by Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Captain Savrajdeep Singh. Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat was one of the two commanders operating the 39-year-old Beechcraft C90. Captain Savrajdeep Singh was the second pilot on board.

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Medical team and patient on board

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.

The 41-year-old patient on board had sustained 63 per cent burn injuries in a petroleum-related accident and was admitted to the ICU. He was being shifted from Ranchi to Delhi for specialised treatment at a higher medical facility when the aircraft crashed.

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DGCA outlines timeline of events

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the air ambulance took off from Ranchi at 7:11 pm. After getting in touch with Kolkata air traffic control, the crew sought a change in route due to adverse weather conditions. At around 7:34 pm, communication and radar contact with the aircraft were lost.

The aircraft’s last recorded position was about 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.

"The district administration search and rescue team is at the location and AAIB team is being dispatched for investigation. Further information will be shared," the DGCA added.

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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.