Jharkhand Air Ambulance Tragedy: All 7 Killed In Chatra Forest Crash

CHATRA / RANCHI — Rescue teams recovered the bodies of all seven individuals from the wreckage in the remote Kasaria Panchayat area of Simaria block late Monday night. The crash site, located deep within a forested terrain, made initial access difficult for district administration and local police.

Timeline of the Incident

• 7:11 PM: The aircraft took off from Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi.
• 7:34 PM: The crew established contact with Kolkata Air Traffic Control (ATC) and requested a deviation from the flight path due to inclement weather.
• 7:34 PM: Minutes after the request, the plane lost all communication and radar contact approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.
• 10:20 PM: Local authorities confirmed the crash after villagers reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing an object fall from the sky.

The Victims: Full List of Deceased

The seven individuals on board included two pilots, a patient, a medical team, and family attendants:

• Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat (Pilot-in-Command)
• Captain Savrajdeep Singh (Co-pilot)
• Sanjay Kumar (41) (The patient, a resident of Latehar suffering from 65% burn injuries)
• Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta (Attending Physician)
• Sachin Kumar Mishra (Paramedic)
• Archana Devi (Patient Attendant)
• Dhuru Kumar (Patient Attendant)

Investigation & Safety Concerns

Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G stated that prima facie, a severe thunderstorm appears to be the cause of the crash. However, a formal investigation is being conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

This marks the second major small aircraft accident in India within a month, following the January 28 crash in Baramati that claimed five lives, including a prominent political figure. The repetitive nature of these incidents has sparked renewed calls for a special audit of non-scheduled and charter operators.

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