Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 15:22 IST

Operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, the Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV took off from Ranchi at 7.11pm with a patient on board but crashed soon after

“My son saved many lives by piloting an air ambulance, but today he has lost his life"—For DS Bhagat, the father of the pilot who was manoeuvring the ill-fated aircraft from Ranchi to Delhi that crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra on Monday, the pain is inexplicable.

As per DGCA, Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and six others— Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar Shaw, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar—were killed in the crash.

Speaking to news agency ANI, DS Bhagat said his son was scheduled to meet a relative for dinner upon landing in Delhi. “His chachi [aunt] kept dinner ready for him. He told her that he will eat at home and is expected to land in Delhi at 9pm. She kept waiting till 11pm for Vikas to come. It was only then that we found out about the crash," he said.

Operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, the Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV took off from Ranchi at 7.11pm with a patient on board. After take-off, the plane made contact with Kolkata but around 7.34pm, it lost communications and RADAR contact.

SP Sumit Kumar, speaking to ANI, said: “We got information around 10pm that an accident has happened… Getting here was difficult considering the terrain… The Delhi team will come here for investigation and try to recover the black box… Total number of deaths is seven."

Heart-wrenching stories have come to the fore from the crash. For instance, the family of Shaw, the patient being transported in the ambulance, had taken a loan of around Rs 8 lakh to hire the aircraft that crashed shortly after taking off.

Shaw had suffered 65 per cent burns last Monday after an electric short circuit at his restaurant in Chandwa triggered a fire. As his condition deteriorated, the family decided to shift him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi for advanced care. As a journey by road was not possible for Shaw, the family had borrowed around Rs 8 lakh from friends and relatives for an air ambulance.

“Our home has been destroyed. Not just one home, many families have been ruined. If proper treatment had been available in Ranchi itself, we would not have had to take him to Delhi. And in the process of taking him to Delhi, this tragedy happened, our very existence has been shattered," Shaw’s relatives said.

Another life lost in the crash was of Vikas Kumar Gupta, the doctor on board the aircraft. Speaking to the media, Gupta’s father spoke about the sacrifices he made to educate his son.

“My elder son was posted in Sadar Hospital, Ranchi. If there had been proper health facilities here, why would they have gone to Delhi for treatment? I had sold my farmland and other things for his education," he told ANI.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) condoled the incident and launched a probe into the crash. A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) also visited the site to recover the black box and find the exact cause behind the crash.

News india 'He Saved Many Lives, But Lost His Own': Jharkhand Air Ambulance Pilot's Father Mourns Loss

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