All 7 on board Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance dead in crash near Simaria in Jharkhand's Chatra

An air ambulance with seven people onboard crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand's Chatra district on Monday evening while en route to Delhi from Ranchi, an airport official said.

All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand's Chatra district on Monday evening while en route to Delhi from Ranchi, a top state government official said.

The crash took place shortly after the aircraft operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm.

"All seven on board the air ambulance were killed in the crash. The plane was on the way to Delhi from Ranchi," Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G told PTI.

"An air ambulance from Ranchi with seven people onboard crashed near Simaria in Chatra district. The plane lost contact with air traffic control around 20 minutes after take-off," Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar told PTI.

Inclement weather could be a reason behind the crash, but the actual cause will be ascertained only after a probe, he added.

The DGCA in a statement said, "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 people on board, including two crew members."

"The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi," it added.

The district administration's search and rescue team has reached the location, and an Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team is being dispatched, the statement said.

Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G told PTI, "The aircraft went missing around 7.30 pm. It crashed at Bariatu Panchayat in Simaria."

She said she could not confirm casualties as the crash site is deep inside a forest.

Chatra SP Sumit Kumar Agarwal told PTI, "The crash site is deep in the forest. Police teams are yet to reach the spot, so we are not in a position to confirm the number of casualties."

According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.

Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients.

"The patient, Sanjay Kumar (41), a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital with 65 per cent burn injuries on February 16. He was being treated in the hospital," he said.

He added the family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment.

"They arranged an air ambulance on Monday. 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.