Seven killed in air ambulance crash in India's Jharkhand state
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Police and security personnel work at the site where the Beechcraft air ambulance crashed, killing all seven people on board, in Chatra, Jharkhand, India, February 24, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. ANI/Reuters TV via REUTERS
NEW DELHI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - All seven people on board a Beechcraft air ambulance were killed on Monday when it crashed in the Indian state of Jharkhand, officials said a day later, including two crew members, a patient and his relatives.
The Beechcraft C90 plane operated by Redbird Airways took off from state capital Ranchi but requested a change to its flight path due to weather, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Monday.
The aircraft subsequently lost communication and radar contact, the regulator said.
"We have pulled out the bodies and sent them for post-mortem and further investigation," said Keerthishree G, the deputy commissioner of Chatra district, where the crash occurred during a thunderstorm.
A team from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been dispatched to investigate the cause, the regulator said.
Separately on Tuesday, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued stricter safety mandates for non-scheduled operators following a review of recent incidents, citing lapses in standard operating procedures and training.
New measures include mandatory public disclosure of safety records, increased cockpit voice recorder and flight data audits, stricter penalties for violations, and enhanced oversight of aircraft maintenance and weather-related decision-making.
The Beechcraft aircraft was carrying two pilots, two medical professionals, a patient named as Sanjay Kumar, and two of his relatives, officials said.
"Both pilots were capable and experienced," said Mohinder Kaur, chief of flight safety at Redbird Airways, adding that the incident was under investigation by relevant agencies.
Relatives of Kumar told reporters he was injured in a fire and was initially undergoing treatment in Ranchi.
"His condition had become worse so we were taking him to Delhi by air ambulance," said Vijay Sau, his older brother.
Most air crashes occur due to a combination of factors and can take at least a year to investigate, according to industry experts.
In a separate incident in the South Asian nation - among the world's fastest-growing aviation markets - a helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the sea near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, news agency ANI reported, citing state-owned operator Pawan Hans.
All seven people on board were rescued, it said, without giving details about the cause of the incident. Reuters holds a minority stake in ANI.
Last month, a Learjet 45 charter aircraft crashed killing all five people on board, including the deputy chief minister of India's wealthiest state of Maharashtra and two members of his staff.
(Reporting by Sakshi Dayal and Aleef Jahan; Editing by Kevin Buckland, Saad Sayeed and Hugh Lawson)
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