Air ambulance that crashed in Jharkhand had no black box as per aviation rules

The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 (VT-AJV), which was being used as an air ambulance when it crashed in Jharkhand on Tuesday (February 24), killing seven on board, was reportedly not equipped with any black boxes as per civil aviation rules since its maximum take-off weight was below 5,700 kg.

The report, quoting sources, further stated that, as per civil aviation rules, cockpit voice recorders (CVR) or flight data recorders (FDR) are not mandated for aircraft with a maximum take-off weight below 5,700 kg.

AAIB probe underway

A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have inspected the crash site on Wednesday (February 25) and gathered evidence for further investigation.

According to Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Shubham Khandelwal, the AAIB team has collected crucial evidence and will continue the probe on Thursday. He further stated that locals have told police that the aircraft lost balance before it crashed, adding that recovery and postmortems of all bodies have been completed.

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"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,” said Khandelwal.

“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," he added.

What CVR and FDR do

A Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) captures conversations between the flight crew and other sounds inside the cockpit. It also stores exchanges with air traffic control, automated weather briefings, and discussions between pilots and ground or cabin crew, helping investigators reconstruct crew actions before a crash.

Also Read: All 7 on board Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance killed in crash in Jharkhand

A Flight Data Recorder (FDR) logs various flight parameters and is used to assess whether the aircraft exceeded permissible operating limits. Both devices have long been central to accident investigations.

Regulatory requirements

Under regulations, a CVR must be installed on turbine-engined aeroplanes with more than five passenger seats and a maximum certificated take-off mass of 5,700 kg. Aircraft above 5,700 kg issued airworthiness certificates on or after January 1, 1987, must also carry a CVR.

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FDRs are required for multi-engined turbine-powered aeroplanes of 5,700 kg or less if their airworthiness certificate was first issued on or after January 1, 1990.

The crashed aircraft received its first Certificate of Airworthiness in 1987, predating both the January 1, 2016, applicability date for CVR requirements and the January 1, 1990, applicability date for FDR requirements, reported NDTV.

How the crash happened

The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was flying a medical evacuation mission from Ranchi to Delhi when it went down on Monday evening in Kasariya Panchayat of Simaria block.

The aircraft reportedly departed Ranchi at 19:11 IST and subsequently lost radar and communication contact with Kolkata around 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.

An official statement from the Council of Indian Aviation confirmed that the plane took off at 19:11 IST and lost contact near 100 NM south-east of Varanasi.