The crash of an air ambulance in Jharkhand has left behind profound personal grief, particularly for Bajrangi Prasad, a farmer whose lifelong sacrifices to educate his son ended in tragedy. The accident claimed the life of Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, a young medic whom his father had supported through years of hardship with the hope that he would serve society as a doctor.
Prasad recalled that he had sold all his agricultural land to fund his son’s education, determined to help him achieve a medical career. Now devastated by the loss, he said the tragedy has taken away not only his child but also the purpose that had guided his life for years. Dr Gupta, who was posted at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi, was part of the medical team aboard a Beechcraft C90 air ambulance operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd.
The aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening while flying from Ranchi to Delhi on a medical evacuation mission. All seven people on board were killed in the accident. According to Prasad, his son had informed the family about the flight shortly before departure, saying the aircraft was expected to land in Delhi at 7:11 pm. Around 8 pm, the family learned that the air ambulance had crashed, and later received confirmation that the wreckage had been located in the forested Simaria area.
Dr Gupta is survived by his seven-year-old son. His father described him as a hardworking and meritorious student who had completed his MBBS from Cuttack in Odisha and was deeply committed to both his profession and family responsibilities. For Prasad, the loss represents not only emotional devastation but also the disappearance of the sole earning support he had relied upon after dedicating everything to his son’s future.
According to aviation authorities, the aircraft took off from Ranchi at approximately 7:11 pm and lost contact with air traffic control roughly 20 minutes into the flight. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that the plane was conducting a medical evacuation operation when it crashed in a densely forested region. Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar indicated that adverse weather conditions may have contributed to the accident, although the exact cause will be determined through an investigation being carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
All seven occupants of the aircraft lost their lives in the crash. The victims were identified as Captain Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, patient Sanjay Kumar, attendants Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, and paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra. Following recovery operations, the bodies were taken to Sadar Hospital in Chatra for post-mortem examinations before being handed over to their families.
As grieving relatives gathered to receive the remains, condolences poured in from public officials, including Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Chief Minister Hemant Soren, both of whom expressed sympathy and assured assistance to the affected families.
For Bajrangi Prasad, however, official support offers little solace. The son for whom he had sacrificed his land, livelihood, and years of hope is gone, leaving behind a grieving family and a life of service that ended tragically during a mission meant to save another.
