Overview
- The Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) operated by Redbird Airways departed Ranchi at 19:11 IST and requested a route deviation for weather before losing radio and radar contact around 19:34 IST about 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.
- All seven on board died, including two pilots, a doctor, a paramedic, a critically burned patient, and two attendants, with authorities confirming identities and recovery of the remains.
- The wreckage was located deep inside forest near Simaria in Chatra district, where rescue teams reported difficult access and carried bodies over rough terrain to reach the main road.
- Officials cited adverse weather or a thunderstorm as a possible factor, though the definitive cause will be established only after investigators analyze flight, radar, communication, and maintenance records.
- Bodies have been sent to Sadar Hospital in Chatra for post-mortem, and DGCA and AAIB teams have been dispatched as the crash renews scrutiny of non-scheduled charter and air-ambulance operations.