A specialized medical transport aircraft operating between Ranchi and New Delhi has crashed under tragic circumstances in India’s eastern Jharkhand state. The Beechcraft King Air B90L aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways, vanished from radar surveillance shortly after departure on Monday evening with seven individuals aboard.
According to aviation authorities cited by India’s ANI news agency, the ill-fated flight was conducting a dedicated medical evacuation mission. The passenger manifest included a patient requiring urgent medical transfer accompanied by a specialized medical team consisting of a doctor and paramedic, in addition to flight attendants and crew members.
Emergency response teams have been dispatched to the suspected crash site in Chatra district, approximately 110 kilometers from Ranchi. Search and rescue operations are currently underway amid challenging terrain conditions, though officials have not yet confirmed any survivor accounts from the remote crash location.
The aviation incident marks another concerning episode in India’s regional air safety record, coming amidst increased scrutiny of medical evacuation protocols and charter flight operations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has initiated a formal investigation to determine the precise cause of the tragedy, examining factors ranging from technical failure to weather conditions prevalent during the evening departure.
This medical evacuation tragedy echoes similar incidents globally, including a recent private jet accident in Maine, United States, that claimed eight lives, highlighting the inherent risks associated with specialized air transport operations even with advanced safety protocols in place.