First video of AN-32 aircraft crash site, wreckage sighted at height of 12,000 feet
Having recovered the wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Wednesday, efforts are now completely centred on locating any possible survivors. Hopes have not died, even if chances are bleak. The Indian Air Force has pushed through best of its assets to establish the status of the 13 occupants who were onboard the aircraft.
Earlier on Tuesday, the wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted in a heavily forested mountainous terrain in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing with 13 people onboard.
India TV's Manish Prasad brought in first visuals of the crash site on Wednesday. The wreckage of the IAF aircraft was spotted at a height of 12,000 feet near north of Lipo locality. Now, first video of the crash site has also been accessed by India TV.
15 mountaineers have been inducted by Mi17 and ALH with all equipment. 9 of these are from IAF mountaineering team, four from the Army and 2 civilian mountaineers.
The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft was going from Jorhat in Assam to Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China on June 3 when it lost contact with ground staff at 1 pm, within 33 minutes of taking off.
Unfortunately, the Indian Air Force has lost nearly 10 aircraft this year. From Mirage 2000 to MiG-27, many of these aircraft had crashed in the month of February. In January, a Jaguar aircraft of the IAF had crashed in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar, with the pilot ejecting safely. The military aircraft had crashed soon after taking off on a routine mission from the Gorakhpur Air Force Station.
On February 19, a pilot was killed and two others had ejected to safety when two aircraft of IAF's aerobatic team Surya Kiran crashed near the Yelahanka airbase in Bengaluru, a day before the opening of the Aero India show. The two Hawk aeroplanes had collided mid-air and crashed, killing Wg Cdr Sahil Gandhi and injuring Wg Cdr V T Shelke and Sqn Ldr T J Singh.
Earlier in February, a Mirage 2000 aircraft of the IAF had crashed at the HAL airport in Bengaluru killing a pilot on the spot and leaving another critically injured, police had said.
In the same month, a MIG-27 fighter aircraft of IAF had crashed in Eta village in Pokaran tehsil of Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district.
A MiG-21 Bison of the IAF, piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was downed during a dogfight between India and Pakistan sides on February 27 after the Balakot airstrike. Also, on February 27, a Mi-17 helicopter had crashed in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least one person.
In March, the IAF lost two aircraft in separate crash incidents. A MiG-27 aircraft had crashed late March near Jodhpur in Rajasthan but the pilot ejected safely. The jet had taken off from Utarlai airforce base and it experienced engine problems leading to the crash around 11:45 am in Sirohi district about 120 km south of Jodhpur. Early March, a MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the IAF had crashed in Rajasthan's Bikaner district with the pilot ejecting safely. The aircraft was on a routine mission and crashed after getting airborne from the Nal airbase near Bikaner.
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