The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) that crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, killing all seven persons on board, was not equipped with cockpit voice recorders (CVR) or flight data recorders (FDR), as these are not mandatory for aircraft below 5,700 kg maximum take-off weight, sources said on Wednesday.
Under prevailing civil aviation norms, aircraft with a maximum take-off weight below 5,700 kg are not required to carry black boxes. The twin-engine Beechcraft C90 air ambulance fell within this category, sources confirmed.
The aircraft was operating a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it went down in Kasariya Panchayat under Simaria block on Monday evening. It had taken off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST and reportedly lost radar and communication contact with Kolkata air traffic control around 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi before crashing.
A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited the crash site on Wednesday and collected crucial documents and physical evidence from the wreckage. Officials said the investigation would continue, with further examination of technical records and operational details.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Shubham Khandelwal said the AAIB team gathered key materials from the site and would resume evidence collection on Thursday.
“AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau)’s team had come here. They collected all the documents and evidence they deemed important. They will collect evidence tomorrow as well. They will then inform us of their investigation. The local villagers have also given their statements regarding the manner in which the crash occurred. Locals say that they saw the aircraft losing balance. It crashed 2-3 seconds later. Deployment will continue here. Yes, bodies have handed over, and a postmortem has been done,” Khandelwal said.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials have also inspected the site and are examining regulatory and operational aspects linked to the aircraft and operator.
Investigators are expected to rely on maintenance logs, air traffic control records, weather data and witness accounts to reconstruct the sequence of events, given the absence of onboard flight recorders. A detailed report will be prepared after the technical analysis is completed.
Also read: Medical charter aircraft crashes near Ranchi, 7 onboard
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