An air ambulance crashed shortly after taking off in Jharkhand on Monday evening left one dead. The incident occurred near the Kasaria Panchayat in Jharkhand's Chatra district. The air ambulance took off from Birsa Munda Airport around 7:11 PM on Monday and was en route to Delhi, according to the DGCA report.
Who was Sanjay Kumar?
Amongst the seven people who were onboard the plane was 41-year-old burn patient Sanjay Kumar. He was being taken to Delhi for advanced treatment. Kumar was being accompanied by a medical team comprising a doctor and a paramedic. Two crew members were also onboard .
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Communication lost with ATC
The aircraft involved in the crash was a Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) owned by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd. Shortly after take off from Jharkhand's Birsa Munda Airport, the aircraft contacted Kolkata and requested a deviation following deteriorating weather.
Around 07:34 PM, Kolkata air traffic control ATC lost communication and disappeared from RADER approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi. The aircraft's last known location is reported to be over the forest area between Latehar and Palamu.
The air ambulance was scheduled to reach Delhi by 8:30 PM.
"A medical flight took off. Its contact was established with the next station, then the control was handed over to the next station. After this contact was lost. The plane did not contact the Ranchi Airport. The State has been informed about this. All necessary SOPs are being followed," Ranchi Airport sources told ANI.
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Search and rescue efforts
The incident has prompted a wider investigation following search and rescue operations. The district Administration search and rescue team is at the location and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has also been dispatched to the crash site.
There has been no official statement released by the authority regarding the possible cause of the crash. However, the preliminary inputs point towards bad weather in the region, prompted by heavy rain and strong winds, leading to low visibility.
Officials suggested waiting until the AAIB completes its on-ground assessment and analysis of flight data and communication records.
