The wreckage of an IAF aircraft, which went missing eight days ago with 13 people on board, was found Tuesday in Lipo locality of Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said.

The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft lost contact on the afternoon of June 3 after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.

The wreckage of the aircraft has been located in an area called Lipo, the sources said. </s> The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted on Tuesday in a heavily forested mountainous terrain in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing with 13 people on board after taking off from Assam's Jorhat.

The IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of occupants amid fears of that chances of any survivor in the one of worst accidents involving a military platform in recent years may be very bleak.

"The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone," the IAF said in a statement.

"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors," it said.

An IAF official said after identifying the wreckage of the AN 32, a Cheetah helicopter and an ALH chopper reached the crash site but could not land due to high elevation and dense forest.

"However, nearest landing site has been identified and the rescue operation by helicopters will commence tomorrow early morning. Ground forces will continue to reach the crash site during the night," he said.

Another official said the IAF will send its special commandos 'Garud' to the crash site and carry out an exercise to look for possible survivors.

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.

The IAF launched a massive operation after the aircraft went missing but the search was badly hit due to poor weather conditions.

The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.

The Indian Navy's P-8I aircraft was also deployed earlier this week as it has electro-optical and infra-red sensors which could be helpful in the search operation.

ISRO's Cartosat and RISAT satellites were also used to take images of the area around Menchuka.

Deputy Commissioner of Siang district Rajeev Takuk said the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted near Pari hills which is close to Gatte village under Payum circle in Arunachal Pradesh.

"The wreckage was spotted near Pari hills, a few kilometres from Gatte village. However, the area is inaccessible as there is no road communication," Takuk told PTI.

The IAF has been regularly updating the families of all those who were on board the AN-32 about the rescue operation.

Officials said a total of nine aircraft of the Indian Air Force were involved in accidents this year.

An AN-32 aircraft had crashed near a village in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in June 2009 in which 13 defence personnel were killed.

The aircraft had crashed over the Rinchi Hill above Heyo village, about 30 km from Mechuka advance landing ground.

In July 2016, an AN-32 aircraft went missing after taking off from Chennai for Port Blair with 29 people on board.

The aircraft could not be traced even after weeks of massive search operations covering 2,17,800 square nautical miles by multiple aircraft.

Months later, an IAF court of inquiry concluded that it was unlikely that the missing personnel on board the aircraft would have survived the accident. </s> The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was spotted on Tuesday 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing after taking off from Assam’s Jorhat. The aircraft had 13 people on board and the IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of the occupants. </s> The An-32 aircraft with 13 people on board had gone missing on June 3 | File photo

An Indian Air Force (IAF) team on Thursday recovered black box of An-32 aircraft which went missing on June 3.

The An-32's black box was recovered from crash site in Arunachal Pradesh.

The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder are part of the block box that will help in investigations into the crash.

The flight data recorder can store up to 30 parameters.

These parameters include details of engine, speed and other things to assess what possibly triggered the crash.

The cockpit voice recorder can be extremely crucial in getting more crash details as it will have the conversations the pilot had with the ground staff minutes before the crash.

A team, comprising four Indian Air Force personnel, reached the crash site this morning with the remaining nine personnel joining them a later.

The IAF will now assess the damage black box sustained.

"If the damage is not much and the equipment are intact, retrieving the data will not be a problem," an IAF officer said.

A team of four, out of a group of 15, reached close to the crash site on Thursday evening but because of the poor light could not go further and access the wreckage and waited for daylight.

"They had to rappel and get to the An-32 that is stuck at a steep gradient," the officer said.

The next big challenge is to get back the mortal remains of the IAF personnel. According to an ANI report, the choppers would be used to ferry the bodies from the crash site in Arunachal Pradesh.

The wreckage of the An-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted in a heavily forested mountainous terrain by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter, eight days after it went missing with 13 people on board on June 3.

Teams were airdropped near An-32 aircraft wreckage site in Arunachal Pradesh to carry out search operations in area | File photo

There were no survivors in the crash of An-32 aircraft, wreckage of which was found in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, Indian Air Force confirmed.

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.

A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft. </s> An Indian Air Force AN-32 transport aircraft with 13 people on board went missing on Monday afternoon around 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Arunachal's Menchuka near the border with China.

Thirteen people, including eight crew members, were onboard the aircraft. The Antonov An-32, which was headed to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, lost contact around 35 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam.

The Indian Air Force has deployed Sukhoi Su-30 combat fighter jets, a C-130 Hercules special operations aircraft to locate the aircraft but the An-32 is yet to be traced.

As search operations continue, here are developments in 10 points.

1. The Indian Air Force aircraft took off from Jorhat at 12.27 pm for the Menchuka advance landing ground in Shi-Yomi district in Arunachal Pradesh and made last contact with the ground control at 1pm.

2. A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were onboard the Air Force aircraft.

3. The IAF has deployed C-130J and AN-32 aircraft besides two Mi-17 choppers while the Indian Army has pressed into service advance light helicopters to locate the missing Antonov AN-32 aircraft. The search operations from air and by ground parties of the Indian Army continued through the night.

4. The district administration of Shi Yomi district in Arunachal Pradesh also launched a search operation along with the villagers.

5. Ground reports were received on the possible location of a crash site on Monday but when helicopters were routed to the location, no wreckage was found.

6. Search operations continue on Tuesday. "Search and rescue (SAR) operation resumes as the weather clears up on Tuesday. Two MI 17s and one ALH already deployed with the ground party of Army and ITBP," Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said, adding that more assets may be deployed if required.

7. On the missing An-32, defence minister Rajnath Singh said he had spoken to the vice chief of the force on steps to find the missing aircraft and was praying for the safety of all those on board.

8. Defence Ministry spokesperson said all efforts were being made to locate the missing Air Force plane. The spokesperson said Rajnath Singh was keeping an eye on the situation.

9. IAF officials said the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is around 35km from the China border. The Mechuka ALG, where the aircraft was supposed to land, was re-activated last year. It was non-functional since 2013.

10. The AN-32 is a Russian origin aircraft and the IAF currently operates a sizeable number of it. It is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft.

READ | Air Force An-32 transport plane missing after taking off from Assam </s> New Delhi, June 11: The wreckage of the Indian Air Force's missing AN-32 transport aircraft has been found in Arunachal Pradesh, almost a week after it went missing.

The wreckage has been found in Payum Circle of Siang district. It was spotted by a Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force.

The IAF has confirmed that wreckage of the missing AN-32 was spotted north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress," it added.

The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft with 13 people on board lost contact on June 3 afternoon after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.

IAF had launched a massive search operation hours after the aircraft went missing. The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police. </s> New Delhi: The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was spotted on Tuesday 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing after taking off from Assam’s Jorhat.

 The aircraft had 13 people on board and the IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of the occupants.

 “The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 kms north of Lipo, north east of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft by the IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone,” the IAF said in a statement.

 “Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress,” it said.

 The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft lost contact on the afternoon of June 3 after taking off from Jorhat for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.

 A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft.

 The AN-32 is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft and the IAF currently operates a sizeable number of it.

 The IAF launched a massive operation to trace the missing aircraft but the search was badly hit by poor weather conditions.

 The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.

 ISRO’s Cartosat and RISAT satellites were also used to take images of the area around Menchuka.

 On Saturday, the IAF had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone providing information about location of the AN-32 transport aircraft which went missing six days ago around remote Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, an earlier report said.

 —PTI </s> Itanagar: The Indian Air Force, Army and the civil administration of Arunachal Pradesh started a massive operation on Wednesday to reach the site where the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force had crashed on June 3, a defence official said.

"The rescue mission of inducting teams to the crash site, by helicopters has begun. Mi17s and ALH from army are being utilised," said defence PRO Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh.

The site where the wreckage of the AN-32 has been spotted is located 16 km north of Lipo and about 12 to 15 km west of Gatte under Payum region of Shi Yomi district.

The wreckage was spotted on Tuesday afternoon when the joint teams of IAF, Army and the civil administration carried out aerial survey in the area. "It is likely to take some time for the ground parties to reach the crash site. The area has thick vegetation and the tough terrain often prevents the ground search party from advancing," said a senior official of Shi Yomi district. Although the IAF has spotted the wreckage, nothing is yet clear about the fate of the 13 on board the aircraft when it taken off on June 3 from the Jorhat airbase for Mechuka advanced landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh. </s> An Indian Air Force transport aircraft has gone missing after taking off from an airbase in Assam. The last contact with the aircraft — an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft — was at around 1pm today. 13 people were onboard the plane, including eight crew members and five passengers, India Today reported.

The Indian Air Force has deployed all available resources to locate the aircraft.

The Antonov An-32 had taken off from Jorhat in Assam and was heading to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is located near the China border.
The wreckage of An-32 aircraft was found in Arunachal Pradesh with all 13 people on board killed. India Today