Indian Navy joins search for missing trainer aircraft in Jharkhand

Jharkhand News — Image Source : X/ @SETHSANJAYMP Indian Navy joins search for missing trainer aircraft in Jharkhand

A 19-member team from the Indian Navy arrived in Ranchi on Thursday to assist in the ongoing search operation for a trainer aircraft that went missing shortly after taking off from the Sonari aerodrome in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

According to officials, the Navy team, equipped with specialized search equipment, landed in Ranchi around 12:50 am before traveling to Jamshedpur. Their mission is to support the search for the two individuals who were aboard the aircraft when it disappeared.

"The Navy team from Visakhapatnam has reached Jamshedpur and is prepared to join the ongoing operation to locate the missing trainer aircraft," an official stated.

Body found in dam

Meanwhile, apart from the continuous search effort carried out, parallely in a significant development, an official from the Seraikela-Kharsawan administration, who requested anonymity, reported that a body was found floating in the dam where the aircraft is suspected to have crashed.

He said, the body, discovered today, is believed to be one of the two individuals aboard the aircraft—pilot Captain Jeetu Sutaru and trainee pilot Subrodeep—based on the uniform found on it. However, the identification process is underway," he added.

The accident

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that the the missing aircraft, a Cessna 152, for which the search operation is being carried out is owned by Alchemist Aviation. It took off from the Sonari aerodrome on Tuesday at around 11 am with Captain Jeetu Sutaru and trainee pilot Subrodeep on board. However, is suspected that the aircraft crashed into the reservoir of the Chandil dam after villagers reported witnessing the incident.

East Singhbhum's Deputy Commissioner, Ananya Mittal, stated that the last known location of the aircraft, according to Air Traffic Control, was near Nimdih in the Chandil sub-division.