In a significant development in the search for the Indian Air Force An-32 aircraft, which went missing over the Bay of Bengal on July 22, 2016, recent underwater explorations have brought new information to light.
The aircraft, with registration K-2743, disappeared during an operational mission, carrying 29 personnel. Despite extensive search and rescue operations involving multiple aircraft and ships, no trace of the missing personnel or the aircraft debris was found until now.
The breakthrough came from the National Institute of Ocean Technology, operating under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The institute recently deployed an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) with advanced deep-sea exploration capabilities at the last known location of the An-32. The search, conducted at a depth of 3400 meters, utilized sophisticated equipment including multi-beam SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging), synthetic aperture SONAR, and high-resolution photography.
Analysis of the search images revealed the presence of debris on the sea bed, approximately 140 nautical miles (about 310 kilometers) from the Chennai coast. Upon closer scrutiny, the images were found to be consistent with the structure of an An-32 aircraft. This crucial finding at the probable crash site, and the absence of any other recorded missing aircraft in the same area, strongly suggests that the debris could belong to the lost IAF An-32, K-2743.
This discovery marks a poignant moment in the long-standing mystery of the missing aircraft, offering a glimmer of closure to the families of the 29 personnel who were on board. The findings also provide a crucial piece of evidence for the Indian Air Force, potentially aiding in understanding the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident. Further investigations and analyses are underway to confirm the identity of the debris and to understand the final moments of flight K-2743.
List of defence personnel on-board missing AN-32 IAF plane
- Pilot Flt Lt P Badsara
- Flying Officer P K Nandal
- Flight Lieutenant Kunal Barpete
- JWO R Ranjan
- Corporal G Chaudhary
- Leading aircraft Man Kapil
- Flight Lieutenant Deepika
- Sergeant Akhilesh
- Sergeant Bipin Kumar
- Leading aircraft Man (LAC) L K Tripathi
- Aircraft Man Raghuvir Verma,
- Noncombatant enrolled (NCE) Navjot Singh
- NCE Ravidev Singh
- NCEP P Chand
- NCE Mukesh Thakur
- NCE C S Yadav
- Sepoy Eknathak
- Naik Vimal IP
- Sepoy N Ginzasiam
