5 Dead as IAF AN-32 Crashes at Assam's Jorhat Base

An Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft crashed and caught fire while attempting to land at the Air Force Station in Jorhat in the Indian state Assam on Saturday morning. 

The tragic accident resulted in the deaths of five IAF personnel on board, while the co-pilot managed to survive.

According to preliminary reports, the twin-engine military transport aircraft went down within the premises of the airbase at approximately 10 am during its landing process, immediately triggering a fierce blaze upon impact. 

The aircraft reportedly did not land on the runway, crashing outside the designated airstrip area, veering off a parallel taxiway, and splitting into two pieces.

Emergency response teams and fire tenders were deployed instantly to contain the flames and secure the sealed airbase.

While initial reports stated that casualty figures were still being evaluated, the Indian Air Force later confirmed the fatalities.

"Five Indian Air Force personnel have lost their lives in the air crash involving the AN-32 transport aircraft at the Jorhat air base in Assam. The co-pilot has survived and is being provided treatment," IAF officials stated.

The Air Force officially identified the deceased personnel as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat, and Agniveervayu Danish Alam.

In an official statement released on social media platform X, the military branch expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy: "The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat, Assam. [They] made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. IAF extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief."

A formal probe has been initiated to decipher what caused the standard landing maneuver to go fatal. Confirming the incident earlier, Defence PRO Lt. Col. M. Rawat had stated, "IAF AN-32 crashes while landing at Jorhat air base. Losses being ascertained."

The IAF later announced that comprehensive measures are underway to investigate the technical and operational failures: "An IAF An-32 aircraft met with an accident today while landing at Jorhat. A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident."

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that regional authorities were closely monitoring the situation and awaiting more detailed information regarding the tragic accident.

The Antonov AN-32, a twin-engine turboprop tactical military transport aircraft developed in the former Soviet Union to meet India’s unique operational conditions, serves as a critical workhorse of the IAF’s logistics fleet. 

Capable of carrying up to 7.5 tonnes of cargo, around 50 passengers, or 42 paratroopers, it is widely utilized for critical supply and transport missions across difficult, remote terrains, and high-altitude sectors along the Northeast Himalayan frontier.

Aviation experts noted that multiple compounding variables could be behind the landing failure. 

Former Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Flight Operations Inspector Prashant Dhalla commented on the incident, telling news agency ANI: "It's a very unfortunate accident. The AN-32 is a widely used aircraft in the Indian Air Force and is primarily used for the transport of cargo. The surprising part is that this crash has happened within the vicinity of the Jorhat Air Force Station base. According to me, there can be multiple factors. That is a matter for the investigation. However, there were heavy rains reported. Also, low cloud activity was reported at Jorhat. It can be a case of spatial disorientation, a technical error, a weather-related phenomena which has led to this catastrophic accident."  

This disaster marks the latest in a series of severe military aviation losses in the region.

In March of this year, an IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam’s neighboring Karbi Anglong district during a routine training mission, killing both onboard pilots—Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar. 

That fighter jet had also taken off from the Jorhat Air Force Station before losing contact with ground control and crashing in a remote, hilly terrain roughly 60 kilometers away.

Source: NDTV