Engine of crashed air ambulance recovered in Chatra forest after 21 days

The discovery, made nearly a kilometre away from the primary wreckage site, is expected to provide critical technical evidence for the ongoing investigation into the February 23 disaster.

Twenty-one days after the tragic air ambulance crash in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, a major breakthrough was achieved on Sunday when local villagers discovered the aircraft’s engine deep within the Kasiyatu-Karamtand forest.

Engine of crashed air ambulance recovered in Chatra forest after 21 days

The discovery, made nearly a kilometre away from the primary wreckage site, is expected to provide critical technical evidence for the ongoing investigation into the February 23 disaster.

Confirming the recovery, Chatra Superintendent of Police (SP) Sumit Kumar Agrawal stated that the engine was located by locals who had entered the forest to gather Mahua flowers.

“The villagers searched the engine and it has been preserved. We have secured the area and informed the relevant aviation investigation agencies to take custody of the component for technical analysis,” the SP said.

A police official close to the matter said the engine was spotted in a dense patch of the Simaria police station area.

“It was roughly 1,000 metres from where the main body of the aircraft fell. The distance suggests the possibility of a mid-air structural failure or the engine detaching prior to the final impact,” the police official said.

The incident dates back to February 23, 2026, when a Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways, crashed while transporting a critically ill burn patient from Ranchi to Delhi. The crash resulted in the deaths of all seven people on board, including two pilots, a doctor, a paramedic, two attendants, and the patient.

Since the crash, search teams and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had been combing the rugged terrain for missing parts to determine why the twin-engine turboprop went down. With the engine now recovered, experts hope to determine if mechanical failure or an explosion contributed to the accident.