Jharkhand air ambulance requested route deviation shortly before crash; 7 dead
India Today
A last-minute emergency call was made from the Ranchi-to-Delhi air ambulance requesting a route deviation due to bad weather, just moments before the crash that killed everyone on board, after which communication went dark.
The Ranchi-to-Delhi air ambulance that crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district shortly after takeoff, killing all seven people on board, had established contact with Kolkata at 7:34 pm on Monday, seeking an alternate route due to inclement weather before it lost communication and radar contact, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
"The aircraft took off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata, it requested a deviation due to weather. At 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi," the aviation watchdog stated.
Meanwhile, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry’s investigative arm, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), will visit flight operator RedBird Aviation’s office in New Delhi today and is likely to examine safety audit reports and other key documents related to RedBird’s operations and the crashed aircraft.
Confirming the visit, RedBird Aviation Managing Director Akshay Kumar told India Today TV that a special audit of its aircraft was conducted soon after the recent Baramati crash.
“A special audit of RedBird was conducted after the Baramati crash. Both pilots were fairly experienced. Communication with Ranchi ATC indicated bad weather. We are in touch with the AAIB. An AAIB team will visit our office today,” Akshay Kumar told India Today TV.
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