...
...
Next Story

Father of doctor who died in Jharkhand plane crash breaks down on camera: 'Sold farm to educate him'

Shortly after take off from the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, the Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, that was headed to Delhi, lost communication and crashed.

Updated on: Feb 24, 2026, 13:21:10 IST
Advertisement

A doctor was among seven people killed in a deadly plane crash in Jharkhand's Chatra district on Monday night. The charter plane was an air ambulance carrying a patient named Sanjay Kumar, 41 and a doctor named Vikas Kumar Gupta was among those accompanying him aboard the flight.

Chatra: Family members and relatives mourn as they receive the mortal remains of a victim of the Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 air ambulance crash, at a hospital in Chatra district, Jharkhand. (PTI)
Chatra: Family members and relatives mourn as they receive the mortal remains of a victim of the Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 air ambulance crash, at a hospital in Chatra district, Jharkhand. (PTI)

Shortly after take off from the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, the Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, that was headed to Delhi, lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata, according to a release issued by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

All seven people aboard the plane were killed, the doctor among them. His inconsolable father spoke to the media following the incident as he mourned the loss of his son. “My son was a doctor. He told me he was going to Delhi with patients, but later I learned the aircraft had crashed and my son is no more. I sold my farmland to educate him,” Vikas Kumar Gupta's father told news agency PTI.

The hospital CEO said that Sanjay Kumar, the patient onboard the plane, had been undergoing treatment in the ICU and had suffered 60% burns. “We kept him in the ICU...Some relatives suggested they might want him to be taken abroad for better treatment...They negotiated and arranged for an air ambulance...,” Sinha added.

Others who died in the crash were identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.

There hasn't been any official confirmation on the cause of the crash, but some officials have so far suggested that inclement weather and thunderstorm may have contributed to it.

The air ambulance was operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways with the tail number VT-AJV. It lost contact with the RADAR in Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi and crashed shortly after in a forest in Jharkhand's Simaria.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Poorva Joshi

Poorva Joshi is a Senior Content Producer with nearly five years of experience in journalism. She covers Indian politics and geopolitics, with a focus on diplomatic relations, trade negotiations, and economic policy between countries. She has previously worked at India Today, CNN-News18 and India TV. Over the years, she has reported extensively on major national and international developments, including the Air India plane crash, the Pahalgam terror attack, India–US trade tensions, tensions in the Middle East, high-profile crime stories in India, multiple state Assembly elections, and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She spearheaded the Bihar Assembly elections live blog, which drew over one million users to the Hindustan Times website. Her reporting on India–US tariff and trade tensions has consistently driven strong readership and engagement for the platform. In addition to reporting, she has spent a significant part of her career leading newsroom shifts, ideating stories, editing and fine-tuning copies, and seeing coverage through from planning to publication, alongside writing original articles. At HT, she received the Insta Award for being the top contributor to the HT News Team in November.

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.
Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Hindustantimes wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe