IAF plane with 29 people onboard goes missing

NEW DELHI: An IAF transport aircraft AN-32 with 29 people on-board on Friday went missing.

The aircraft took off from Tambaram, Chennai at 7:30 AM and was en route to Port Blair. The plane had last contact with Air Traffic Control at 7:46 AM and was last seen on radar at 8: 12 AM .


"It was a courier flight with service personnel on board and the estimated arrival time at Port Blair was 11: 30 AM. Search is on," defence sources said.

The last contact with the plane, which was carrying service personnel and six crew members, was made around 15 minutes after take-off from Chennai, the spokesman said.

The aircraft is said to have gone missing over Bay of Bengal. The Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard have launched a massive search operation to locate the missing aircraft.

Defence sources said the plane was at about 23,000 feet when the last contact was established.

While IAF has pressed into service a C130 plane along with two AN32, the Navy has deployed two P8i maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the strategically important Port Blair.

The Navy has pressed into service two Dornier aircraft and 13 ships with the Eastern Fleet Commander on board for the search and rescue operation
The last time an AN 32 crashed was in June 2009 in which 13 service personnel died. The aircraft crashed within minutes of taking off from Mechuka in Arunachal.

AN 32 is one the most reliable aircraft and is known as the workhorse of the air force.

It transports troops and goods to toughest locations in the world along the China border. India has over 100 AN 32 aircraft.

Eight aircraft have crashed since were inducted in 1984.

In March 1999, an An 32 crashed near New Delhi, killing 22 people.