An air ambulance going from Ranchi to Delhi crashed in a forest area near Simaria in Chatra district on Monday (23 February 2026). There were seven people on board the plane, including a 41-year-old patient and two crew members. There is mourning in the house and entire locality of pilot Swarajdeep who lost his life in this accident. The airline company officially confirmed Swarajdeep’s death by sending an email.
Pilot Swarajdeep’s last conversation with his family
Swarajdeep got married about one and a half years ago. Before boarding the flight from Ranchi, he had called his home. He had said, ‘I am going from Ranchi to Delhi. I will call and talk again after landing. Swarajdeep’s family waited for his call for two hours, but no call came. After this, when the family tried to contact Swarajdeep, his phone was found to be off. Apart from his parents, Swarajdeep’s family consists of a three-month-old child and wife.
Lost contact 20 minutes after take off
The air ambulance lost contact with air traffic control (ATC) 20 minutes after takeoff. According to Airport Director Vinod Kumar, bad weather could be a reason for the accident, but the real reason will be known only after investigation. According to DGCA, after establishing contact with Kolkata, at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata, about 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.
What problem did the patient have?
Patient Sanjay Kumar suffered burn injuries due to fire caused by petroleum products. About 63 percent of his body was burnt. He was admitted in the same condition to the ICU of Devkamal Hospital, Ranchi, where initial treatment and supportive treatment was given. Seeing the serious condition of the patient, the doctors had advised to refer him to a higher centre, after which he was being taken to Delhi via air ambulance.