India map. Photo: Shutterstock Beechcraft C90 aircraft belonging to Redbird Airways crashed last night (February 23, 2026) in the state of Jharkhand, India, while performing a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi route.
According to the company's announcement, there were seven people on the plane, including two crew members.
The plane took off from Ranchi at 7:11 PM (Indian time). After takeoff, the crew contacted air traffic control in Kolkata and requested a diversion due to weather conditions.
At 7:34 PM, the plane lost communication and radar contact with the control tower, at about 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi. The crash occurred in the Kesaria Panchayat area of Chatra district.
Local government rescue and relief forces have arrived at the scene, and a team from the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau of India (AAIB) is on its way to the scene to open an investigation.
No further details were provided at this time about the condition of the passengers or the circumstances of the incident. Authorities said more information will be released later.