Absence Of Black Box May Complicate Probe Into Jharkhand Air Ambulance Crash
Investigators face added challenges in the Jharkhand air ambulance crash that killed seven people, as the aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder under existing aviation norms.
The investigation into the fatal air ambulance crash in Jharkhand is expected to be more complex after it emerged that the aircraft did not carry a black box. The twin-turboprop Beechcraft C90, operated by Redbird and registered as VT-AJV, was exempt from mandatory installation of a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) due to its weight category and year of certification.
The aircraft, manufactured in 1987 with a maximum take-off weight of 4,583 kg, received its initial Certificate of Airworthiness before the regulatory deadlines that made CVRs and FDRs compulsory for certain categories of planes. Under existing rules, aircraft above specific weight thresholds and certified after defined dates are required to be fitted with such recorders. The crashed plane did not fall within those mandatory requirements.
The flight had departed Ranchi at approximately 7:11 pm en route to Delhi. About 23 minutes after take-off, the crew reportedly sought a deviation due to weather conditions before losing communication and radar contact. The wreckage was later located in a forested area near Simaria in Chatra district.
With no black box data available, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will rely on air traffic control recordings, radar data, maintenance records, and physical evidence from the crash site to piece together the aircraft’s final moments.
All seven people on board lost their lives in the crash. The inquiry is ongoing as investigators work to determine the precise cause of the tragedy.
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