J'khand air ambulance crash: DGCA teams start probe, bodies handed over to families

Ranchi, Feb 24 (PTI) A day after an air ambulance crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district killing all seven people on board, two teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) arrived in the state on Tuesday and began investigating the accident, an official said.

After post-mortem examination at Sadar Hospital in Chatra, the bodies of the victims were handed over to their families, barring one from Amritsar.

The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route to Delhi from Ranchi when it crashed on Monday evening in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, located deep inside a forest, and left all seven dead.

The deceased were pilots Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Captain Savrajdeep Singh, patient Sanjay Kumar, his sister Archana Devi, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, and para-medical staff Sachin Kumar Mishra and attendant Dhruv Kumar.

While the body of Gupta, the doctor accompanying the patient, is being taken to his Bihar home, the family members of Captain Singh are on their way to Chatra from Chandigarh, officials said.

"Two teams from the DGCA have arrived here, and they have begun the probe. It will take another two days for them to come to a conclusion. A five-member team from Kolkata and a two-member team from Delhi will conduct the investigation," Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G told PTI.

The aircraft took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm. It lost contact with the air traffic control about 20 minutes after departure.

Ranchi Airport Director Vinod Kumar said inclement weather could be a possible reason behind the crash, though the exact cause would be ascertained after a detailed probe.

Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the state government will conduct a probe into how permission was given to the aircraft to fly during "inclement weather". He also said proper compensation would be given to the kin of the deceased.

Terming the crash extremely unfortunate, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said unpleasant weather could be one of the reasons, which will be determined by the probe.

"Since receiving the news last night of the heart-wrenching incident involving the air ambulance... the district administration, along with the state government, has been fully engaged in addressing it,” Chief Minister Hemant Soren said in a post on X.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar also condoled the deaths, saying the news of the air ambulance accident is extremely heartbreaking.

Meanwhile, a lingering sense of grief prevailed in Chatra district, as the near and dear ones of those killed in the crash expressed shock and disbelief.

Among the deceased was Captain Vikas Bhagat, a pilot who had flown countless medical evacuation missions.

"I am an ill-fated father who had to see the mortal remains of my son. It cannot get more unfortunate," said D S Bhagat, his voice choking.

Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, another victim, had been the pride of his family. His father, Bajrangi Prasad from Bihar's Aurangabad district, said he had sold all his land to educate his son.

"He was meritorious and completed his MBBS from Cuttack... He has a seven-year-old son...," Prasad said, struggling to hold back tears.

For one family, the tragedy proved too cruel.

Sanjay Kumar (41), who had suffered 65 per cent burn injuries, was being taken to Delhi for advanced treatment. His sister Archana Devi accompanied him. Neither reached the destination.

"Had we received proper treatment in Ranchi, perhaps this journey wouldn't have been necessary," his brother-in-law said, blaming poor health infrastructure in the state.

"We had borrowed lakhs of rupees to arrange for the air ambulance. Now we lost both," he said.

Sachin Kumar Mishra, a paramedic, was another victim of the crash.

His elder brother said, "Sachin was everything to me. He was like my own child. My parents are no more, and now my brother has also gone.” “Sachin’s Mother, who used to cook at a school, had sold her jewellery to enable Sachin to study BSc Nursing," another relative said.

Dinesh Prasad, father of Dhurv Kumar and a handicapped person, was uncontrollable.

“What will happen now? I don't get even a pension for the handicapped.... I don't want to live... I feel like consuming poison,” he said, adding that none from the government had met him.

All seven families, who were united by the tragic crash, rued that they had not received any compensation so far.

In a statement, the DGCA said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi sector when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district.

"The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi," it said.

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