Authorities looking into factors that could have caused Jharkhand plane crash

New Delhi (PTI): Authorities are looking into the main factors, including weather conditions, that could have led to the fatal crash of an air ambulance that killed seven people in Jharkhand on Monday evening, according to officials.

Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd's Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV enroute from Ranchi to Delhi crashed soon after takeoff. There were five people and two crew members onboard.

One of the officials said a conclusion on what could have led to the crash is yet to be reached and from initial inputs, and the weather conditions at the time of the crash would also be looked into.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team is already at the crash site.

Delhi-based RedBird Airways has a fleet of six planes, as per information available with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This includes the aircraft that crashed on Monday.

It could not be ascertained whether the black box of the aircraft has been recovered.

DGCA on Monday said the aircraft crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, in Jharkhand.

"There were seven persons 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 approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi," the DGCA had said in a statement.

The crash was the second in less than a month involving a plane operated by a non-scheduled operator. On January 28, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others died in a plane crash near Baramati.