Ranchi, Feb 24 (UNI) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed that the ill-fated air ambulance that crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district Monday night had “requested deviation due to weather” after establishing contact with Kolkata.
The Beechcraft C90 aircraft, bearing registration VT-AJV and operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, departed from Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 7:11 pm.
At 7:34 pm, the air ambulance lost both communication and radar contact with Kolkata, approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.
After losing contact with Kolkata, VT-AJV failed to establish communication with either Varanasi Air Traffic Control (ATC) or Lucknow ATC.
Following a radar replay in Varanasi, officials determined that the aircraft’s last radar contact occurred at 7:22 pm.
Ranchi Airport Director Vinod Kumar said that inclement weather may have contributed to the crash but added that the exact cause will only be known after a detailed investigation.
The bodies of all seven people aboard were recovered late at night.
The deceased have been identified as 41-year-old Sanjay Kumar, who was being airlifted for treatment after suffering 63 percent burn injuries, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra, attendants Archana Devi and Dhruv Kumar, and captains Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh.
