2016 Indian Air Force An-32 disappearance

On 22 July 2016, an Antonov An-32 twin engine turboprop transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force disappeared while flying over the Bay of Bengal. The aircraft was en route from Tambaram Air Force Station in the city of Chennai on the western coastline of the Bay of Bengal to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. There were 29 people on board. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost at 9:12 am, 280 kilometres (170 mi) east of Chennai.[1][2] The search and rescue operation became India's largest search operation for a missing plane on the sea in history.[3] There were similar incidents in 1986 and 2019.

2016 Indian Air Force An-32 disappearance
An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 similar to the missing aircraft
Disappearance
Date22 July 2016 (2016-07-22)
SummaryMissing, presumed crashed into the sea
SiteBay of Bengal, India
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAntonov An-32
OperatorIndian Air Force
RegistrationK-2743
Flight originTambaram Air Force Station, Chennai, India
DestinationPort Blair, Andaman Islands, India
Occupants29
Passengers23
Crew6
Fatalities29 (presumed)
Missing29
Survivors0

Passengers

There were 29 people on board the aircraft: six crew members; 11 Indian Air Force personnel; two Indian Army soldiers; one each from the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard; and eight defence civilians working with Naval Armament Depot (NAD).[4][5] The civilians were from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.[6]

Tambaram Air Force Station
Port Blair
Origin and destination airports

The Antonov An-32 took off from Tambaram Air Force Station, Chennai at 08:30 local time on 22 July 2016. It was expected to land in Port Blair around 11:45 local time. The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard launched a large search and rescue operation, using a submarine, 12 surface vessels and five aircraft.[5]

On the third day after the disappearance, 16 ships, a submarine and six aircraft were deployed to search for the missing An-32 in the Bay of Bengal, about 150 nautical miles east of Chennai.[7][8] On 1 August, it was confirmed that the aircraft had no underwater locator beacon (ULB).[9][10] It did have two emergency locator transmitters (ELTs).[9]

On 15 September 2016, the search and rescue mission was called off; all 29 people on board were presumed dead and their families were notified.[11][12][13]

See also

References
  1. "IAF An-32 aircraft developed 3 snags in July alone". Indian Express. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  2. "India launches massive search operation for missing military plane". BBC. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  3. "India's Biggest Search Ever To Find A Plane That Crashed In The Sea". Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  4. "Indian Air Force's AN-32 Plane With 29 Missing After 'Rapid Loss of Altitude'". NDTV. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  5. "Indian Air Force plane Antonov AN-32 missing, 8 naval armaments personnel onboard". First Post. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  6. "Updates: IAF AN-32 aircraft with 29 aboard missing, search on". Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  7. "Hunt for missing Indian Air Force plane goes into third day – Times of India". Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  8. "Indian Air Force AN-32 plane still missing: A pilot looks at what could have gone wrong". 22 July 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  9. "Missing IAF AN-32 aircraft did not have underwater locator beacon". 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  10. "Missing AN-32 plane: Lack of underwater locator hindering search". 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  11. "Exclusive: Those on board ill-fated AN-32 declared dead, IAF writes to family members". Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  12. "AN-32 disaster must help indigenous repair capabilities take off the ground". 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  13. "All 29 onboard missing IAF AN-32 have been officially presumed dead". Retrieved 2016-09-15.
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