IAF AN-32 went missing with 29 people on board on Friday morning while flying from Tambaram Air Base, Chennai to Port Blair. The plane is still missing and the joint search operation by Indian Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guards continued today with no clue in hand.
Defence Minister Monohar Parrikar is visiting Tambaram air base to monitor the search operation.
AN-32 plane disappeared about 300km off the coast of Chennai. The plane took off at 8:30 on Friday morning and went missing after 16 minutes i.e. at 8:46am, the last known contact with the aircraft after the take-off. It went off the radar after 40 minutes into the flight.
Also Read : IAF AN-32 Goes Missing With 29 People On Board
The plane was carrying six crew members which includes three officers, one technician, two airmen, 11 Air Force personnel, nine Navy personnel of which eight are family members, one personnel below officer rank, and two other rank personnel.
The Antonov AN-32 is a Russian-origin aircraft known for its take-off characteristics. It can land on small airstrips. AN-32 is mostly used as the medium of transportation. It’s a twin-engine aircraft which is primarily used for transporting whether it is cargo or passengers. It can also be used during wars and for rescue purposes. 125 AN-32 was imported in 1984 but at present IAF has over 100 AN-32s in service.