An Indian Beechcraft King Air C90A air ambulance aircraft made an emergency landing on October 18 after a sudden loss of cabin pressure forced its main door open at about 12,000 feet. The twin turboprop (VT-HYA) operated by Delhi-based charter operator SKB Infracon was flying from Agartala to Kolkata in northeast India when it had to divert to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (VGHS) in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.
After landing, a critically ill 56-year-old patient on board was transferred to a local hospital. According to local media reports, the patient, who was an employee of the Airports Authority of India, died soon afterwards.
The King Air’s crew are waiting on the ground in Dhaka for airworthiness clearance from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to fly back to Delhi. The agency has begun an investigation to determine the cause of the depressurization.
“While the cause has not been determined, abrupt cabin‑pressure loss can cause shock and aggravate hypoxia in vulnerable patients,” Rohit Kapur, founder of aircraft sales group The Jet Company, told AIN. He is a former president of India’s Business Aircraft Operators Association.
According to an Indian government official speaking with AIN on condition of anonymity, the FAA will next month conduct a safety audit of the DGCA’s airworthiness and flight operations oversight. The source said this action had been prompted by a series of safety incident in 2025.
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