Chennai, India – The Indian Air Force announced on Friday that it may have discovered wreckage from an An-32 transport plane that vanished over the sea nearly eight years ago with 29 individuals on board. The aircraft, which was en route to the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, lost contact with air traffic control 15 minutes after taking off from an air force base near Chennai.
Despite search and rescue efforts at the time, no trace of the plane was found after it disappeared. However, the Ministry of Defence reported that a deep-sea drone surveying the ocean floor in the Bay of Bengal has located debris from a crashed aircraft at a depth of 3,400 meters (11,150 feet) around 140 nautical miles (310 kilometers) south of Chennai.
According to the ministry, the images found are consistent with those of an An-32 aircraft, and the discovery at the probable crash site indicates that the debris may belong to the missing IAF An-32. There have been no reports of any other aircraft going missing in the area.
The An-32, which is known for its ability to fly for up to four hours without refueling, is a critical transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force. However, the IAF has faced safety challenges, with past incidents involving Russian-made equipment. In 2016, radar data from the missing aircraft revealed a sharp left turn before rapidly losing altitude.
In addition to the 2016 incident, other accidents involving Russian-made aircraft have occurred in India, including the crash of a Mi-17 chopper in 2021 and the collision of a Sukhoi Su-30 and a Mirage 2000 in mid-air in 2020.
The Indian Air Force has been gradually phasing out older aircraft, some of which date back to the 1960s. However, experts have expressed concerns about the delay in modernizing the military’s aircraft, citing potential threats to national security.
In summary, the potential discovery of the missing An-32 wreckage marks a significant development in the long-standing mystery surrounding the disappearance of the transport plane. The Indian Air Force’s efforts to locate the aircraft have reignited discussions about safety and modernization within the military.