All seven onboard Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance killed in crash near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra: DC

All seven persons onboard an air ambulance that crashed in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district while en route to Delhi on Monday evening succumbed to their injuries. “The entire administration swung into action as soon as we received information about the crash. Seven people on board died in the accident. It is a tragic and unfortunate incident. The weather condition was bad yesterday (Monday),” Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said while speaking to the press on the premises of the State Legislative Assembly. The Beechcraft C90 aircraft, owned by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was operating a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district. According to officials, the aircraft took off at 7.11 p.m. and had sought a deviation due to inclement weather, but lost communication shortly thereafter. A team from the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the crash, reached the accident site on Tuesday morning. Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar expressed grief over the incident. Among those killed were Sanjay Rao and his wife Archana Devi. Family members said they had arranged ₹8 lakh through loans to book the air ambulance after Mr. Sao sustained severe burn injuries and needed advanced treatment in Delhi. Also on board was their nephew, Dhruv Sao, along with two crew members and two medical personnel. 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. In a separate incident on Tuesday (February24, 2026) morning, a Pawan Hans helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea while flying to Mayabunder from Rangat at around 9.10 a.m. All seven persons on board were rescued safely, the company said in a statement. Published - February 23, 2026 11:11 pm IST ### Related Topics Jharkhand / air transport / air and space accident / Delhi