Air Ambulance Crash: Investigators Face Hurdle as Plane Lacked Black Box
A medical evacuation flight that crashed in Jharkhand on Monday night, claiming the lives of all seven people aboard, did not carry a black box, officials familiar with the investigation have confirmed to Hindustan Times. This absence is expected to complicate efforts to determine the precise cause of the accident.
The Beechcraft C90 King Air, operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route from Ranchi to Delhi on a medical evacuation mission when it went down in the Kasaria area of Chatra district. The victims included the patient, Sanjay Kumar, aged 41; a doctor; a paramedic; two attendants; and the two pilots—pilot-in-command Vivek Vikash Bhagat, with approximately 1,400 flying hours, and first officer Savrajdeep Singh, with about 450 hours.
Under current civil aviation regulations in India, cockpit voice recorders (CVR) and flight data recorders (FDR)—commonly known as black boxes—are not required for aircraft weighing less than 5,700 kg. An industry expert noted that the inquiry will therefore depend on air traffic control communications, wreckage examination, and statements from eyewitnesses.
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Investigators are particularly examining whether a malfunctioning onboard weather radar led the aircraft to deviate fatally from its intended path. Earlier that evening, two other commercial flights—one from Air India and one from IndiGo—encountered severe weather on a similar route and requested deviations to avoid it. The IndiGo flight asked for a left deviation, while the ill-fated air ambulance sought a rightward change. Officials are probing whether the crew misinterpreted radar readings or if the weather radar itself was faulty.
The aircraft, built in 1987, was acquired by Redbird Airways in 2022 from Orient Flying School, which had owned it since 2001. Reports indicate it remained grounded and unused from 2018 to 2022, though the reason remains unverified; the flying school treated it as a non-revenue asset.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently mandated special audits for charter operators following another fatal crash involving a Learjet last month. It is unclear whether Redbird Airways underwent such scrutiny.
An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has arrived at the site. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu expressed condolences on X, describing the loss as heartbreaking and noting swift response by local authorities and AAIB investigators.
Experts emphasize that eyewitness accounts will prove vital in this case. Mark Martin, chief executive of Martin Consulting, pointed out that while some operators voluntarily equip lighter aircraft with recorders for safety, regulations for older models like the roughly 39-year-old Beechcraft C90 were less stringent when it was manufactured.
According to DGCA details, the flight departed Ranchi at 7:11 pm and was handed over from Ranchi ATC to Kolkata Area Control soon after. It was expected to pass the ATALI waypoint but deviated. Last radar contact occurred at 7:22 pm at 13,800 feet, about 40 nautical miles from Ranchi. Final radio communication with Kolkata controllers was at 7:34 pm, after which the aircraft vanished from radar and radio approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi, triggering search and rescue operations.