Ranchi plane crash: All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday (February 23, 2026) evening while en route to Delhi from Ranchi, a top State government official said.
The flight took off from Ranchi at 7:11 pm on Monday. Exactly 20 minutes later, at 7:31 pm, the communication of the aircraft was lost. After some time, the plane crashed in the forests of Samariya in Chatra district of Jharkhand.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other agencies are actively investigating the cause of the accident. The inside story of the Ranchi plane crash has also emerged. Officials stated that the plane requested a route change due to weather conditions. However, contact was lost shortly thereafter. This incident is raising renewed questions about safety in the aviation sector. It should be noted that six people, including former Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, died in a recent plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra.
Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, said the air ambulance was arranged by a patient. He said the patient, Sanjay Kumar (41), a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital on February 16 with 65 percent burns. He was undergoing treatment at the hospital. Sinha further said the family decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment. The patient was flown from the hospital to Delhi around 4:30 pm. All those accompanying the patient died in the plane crash that evening.
The plane was carrying Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat (pilot), Captain Sabrajdeep Singh (co-pilot), Sanjay Kumar (patient), Archana Devi (relative), Dhuru Kumar (relative), Vikas Kumar Gupta (doctor), Sachin Kumar Mishra (paramedical staff).
Communication and radar contact with Kolkata lost
The aircraft took off from Ranchi at 7:11 pm. After contact with Kolkata, at 7:34 am, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata, approximately 100 nm southeast of Varanasi. The aircraft was a medical charter flight from Ranchi to Delhi, operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways, a Beechcraft King Air (BE9L). It took off at 7:07 pm and lost contact at 7:34 pm near Palamu in northwestern Jharkhand. Senior officials from the Civil Aviation Department and security agencies are monitoring the situation. The exact cause of the accident is currently unknown. Official information on the cause of the accident will be available only after a detailed investigation.
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