Jharkhand crash: Why the Redbird Airways aircraft had no black boxes

A Redbird Airways Beechcraft C90 crashed in Jharkhand, killing 7 people. The aircraft, a medical air ambulance, did not have black boxes as its weight was below the 5,700 kg mandate. The AAIB and DGCA are investigating the crash site.

The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV) that crashed in Jharkhand on Tuesday, claiming 7 lives, had no black boxes as the aircraft's maximum takeoff weight is below 5,700 kg, sources said.

Why The Aircraft Lacked Black Boxes

According to civil aviation rules, cockpit voice recorders (CVR) or flight data recorders (FDR) are not mandated for aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight below 5,700 kg.

Multi-Agency Investigation Underway

A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigated the crash site on Wednesday and collected evidence from the wreckage to carry out further investigation.

The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft, registered VT-AJV, was operating a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it crashed on Monday evening in Kasariya Panchayat, Simaria block.

DGCA officials are collecting evidence from the wreckage to carry out further investigation.

A team of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday reached the location of the tragic air ambulance crash in Jharkhand's Chatra district.

Eyewitnesses Saw Aircraft 'Losing Balance'

Speaking to ANI, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Shubham Khandelwal said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has collected key evidence and will continue investigations tomorrow.

He further said that locals reported the aircraft losing balance before it crashed, and recovery and postmortems of all bodies have been completed.

"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 to the reporters.

Final Flight Details

The aircraft had taken off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST and lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi.

As per an official statement from the Council of Indian Aviation, the aircraft had taken off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST and lost radar and communication contact near 100 NM south-east of Varanasi. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)