New Delhi, February 23 – A medical charter aircraft with seven people on board lost radar contact shortly after departing from Ranchi Airport on Monday evening, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
A crash was later confirmed.
The flight was a Beechcraft King Air (BE9L) medical charter flight (operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways) from Ranchi to Delhi. It took off at 7:07 pm and lost contact around 7:34 PM near Palamu in northwestern Jharkhand.
Among the seven on board were 1 patient, 1 doctor, 1 paramedic, 2 attendants, a pilot, and a co-pilot.
The rescue operation was underway, as more details were still emerging.
"A charter plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Ranchi Airport," according to DGCA sources.
The expected time of landing in Delhi was 10 pm. It lost contact with Air Traffic Control at 7:34 pm.
Authorities were continuing search operations in the Kasiyatu forest of Simaria, where the crash reportedly occurred.
Meanwhile, the preliminary report on the Learjet 45 plane crash in Baramati, in which NCP leader Ajit Pawar and four others died, will be released on or before February 28, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters at an event here, Mohol said, "The preliminary report will be out within one month of the accident on January 28, which is on or before February 28."
The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Thursday that "its regulatory bodies remain fully committed to transparency, safety oversight, and accountability. Stakeholders are requested to refrain from speculation and allow the statutory investigation and regulatory processes to proceed in accordance with established procedures."
According to ICAO norms, the preliminary report on the investigation into the Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) crash at Baramati must be issued within 30 days of the accident. The final report will follow in due course, the Ministry said.