<p>An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft with 13 persons on board went missing in Arunachal Pradesh, 33 minutes after it took off from Jorhat airbase in eastern Assam on Monday afternoon.</p>.<p>The AN-32—one of the most used transport aircraft by the IAF, particularly in high altitudes — took off at 12.27 pm and was supposed to land at Mechuka advance landing ground, a remote town in West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, in about 45 minutes. The aircraft, however, lost control with the ground agencies at 1 pm, prompting the IAF to launch a search operation to locate it.</p>.<p>“We have received some ground report about a possible location of a crash site,” Wing Commander, Ratnakar Singh, the IAF spokesperson posted in its eastern command headquarters at Shillong, Meghalaya, told DH around 7.30 pm.</p>.<p> “Helicopters were routed to the location but no wreckage has been sighted so far. The IAF is co-ordinating with the Indian Army as well as other government agencies to locate the missing aircraft.” <br /><br />Eight crewmen and five other IAF persons boarded the aircraft in Jorhat, he said.<br /><br />For the search operation, C-130 and AN-30 aircraft, two MI-17 helicopters and Advanced Light Helicopter have been pressed into service, Singh added. “Since the aircraft did not reach the airfield, overdue action was initiated by the IAF. We are awaiting further information,” he said.</p>.<p>“The search operations from the air and by ground parties of Indian Army are planned to continue through the night,” the IAF said.<br /><br />With a hilly topography, Arunachal Pradesh has a history of aircraft and helicopter mishaps. In June 2009, an AN-32 crashed soon after takeoff from Mechuka, killing the IAF crew on board. In 2011, former chief minister Dorjee Khandu died after his helicopter went missing. The wreckage was detected three days later.<br /><br />The AN-32 is a Russian-designed twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft used to carry essential commodities for both defence persons as well as common citizens living in remote areas like Mechuka.<br /><br />The advance landing ground at Mechuka, which remained un-utilised for years, was refurbished by the IAF and re-opened in July last year. There are five other similar ALGs in Along, Tuting, Pasighat, Wallong and Ziro, which have been upgraded to improve defence infrastructure along the India-China border.<br /><br />The IAF had earlier landed fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 and C-17 Globemaster in Mechuka as part of its preparedness against China.</p>
<p>An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft with 13 persons on board went missing in Arunachal Pradesh, 33 minutes after it took off from Jorhat airbase in eastern Assam on Monday afternoon.</p>.<p>The AN-32—one of the most used transport aircraft by the IAF, particularly in high altitudes — took off at 12.27 pm and was supposed to land at Mechuka advance landing ground, a remote town in West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, in about 45 minutes. The aircraft, however, lost control with the ground agencies at 1 pm, prompting the IAF to launch a search operation to locate it.</p>.<p>“We have received some ground report about a possible location of a crash site,” Wing Commander, Ratnakar Singh, the IAF spokesperson posted in its eastern command headquarters at Shillong, Meghalaya, told DH around 7.30 pm.</p>.<p> “Helicopters were routed to the location but no wreckage has been sighted so far. The IAF is co-ordinating with the Indian Army as well as other government agencies to locate the missing aircraft.” <br /><br />Eight crewmen and five other IAF persons boarded the aircraft in Jorhat, he said.<br /><br />For the search operation, C-130 and AN-30 aircraft, two MI-17 helicopters and Advanced Light Helicopter have been pressed into service, Singh added. “Since the aircraft did not reach the airfield, overdue action was initiated by the IAF. We are awaiting further information,” he said.</p>.<p>“The search operations from the air and by ground parties of Indian Army are planned to continue through the night,” the IAF said.<br /><br />With a hilly topography, Arunachal Pradesh has a history of aircraft and helicopter mishaps. In June 2009, an AN-32 crashed soon after takeoff from Mechuka, killing the IAF crew on board. In 2011, former chief minister Dorjee Khandu died after his helicopter went missing. The wreckage was detected three days later.<br /><br />The AN-32 is a Russian-designed twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft used to carry essential commodities for both defence persons as well as common citizens living in remote areas like Mechuka.<br /><br />The advance landing ground at Mechuka, which remained un-utilised for years, was refurbished by the IAF and re-opened in July last year. There are five other similar ALGs in Along, Tuting, Pasighat, Wallong and Ziro, which have been upgraded to improve defence infrastructure along the India-China border.<br /><br />The IAF had earlier landed fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 and C-17 Globemaster in Mechuka as part of its preparedness against China.</p>