Seven Dead as Redbird Airways Air Ambulance Crashes Near Simaria, Jharkhand

Seven people have died in an air ambulance crash near Simaria in Jharkhand, India. On Monday, the incident involved a Redbird Airways air ambulance, confirmed by Second Commander of the Armed Border Force, Ramesh Kumar, in a statement to ANI.

The Beechcraft C-90 aircraft had taken off from Ranchi Airport at 7:11 PM carrying a patient to Delhi. Around 7:30 PM, the plane lost contact and was later found crashed in Kasaria Panchayat area of Chatra district.

Those confirmed dead in the crash include Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Swarajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi, and Dhuru Kumar. All bodies were recovered and sent for postmortem.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India expressed deep concern and condolences to the families of the deceased. DGCA Chairman Dr. Nitin Jadhav said in a statement on Monday: “We express our deepest concern and heartfelt condolences regarding the Redbird Airways air ambulance crash near Simaria on February 23, 2026.”

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has dispatched a team to the crash site to investigate the cause of the accident.

Ramesh Kumar explained to ANI the difficulties faced during the rescue operation: “We received information about the crash in a very remote area with no road access for about two kilometers. When we arrived at night, no one was found alive. Recovering the bodies and bringing them to the main road was extremely difficult. We had only one stretcher, which we brought from the SSB, and it was used throughout the night. Walking through two kilometers of dense forest and thick bushes at night was extremely challenging.”