Indian military plane with 29 on board missing in Bay of Bengal

[Indx TechStyle]

Satellites provide pointers, but no signs of aircraft yet (Third Lead)

An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft which disappeared on Friday with 29 people on board remained missing on Sunday despite an intensive search and rescue operation, codenamed 'Operation Talash", and some pointers were provided by indigenous satellites.

A senior defence ministry official said indigenous satellites have provided some pointers and ships are searching the indicated area, but nothing has been spotted.

The navy has pressed a flotilla of vessels including a submarine to locate the missing AN-32 which went off the radar two days ago over the Bay of Bengal just half hour after taking off from Chennai on its journey to Port Blair.

There has been no trace of the plane or debris. There are also no signals from the transporter, officials said.

According to Indian Coast Guard, an international safety network was activated as part of the search and rescue procedures for alerting the merchant ships passing through the region.

The Coast Guard said ships like MV Harsh Vardhana enroute from Port Blair to Chennai, MV Sebat and MV Delice were directed to keep a sharp look out for survivors or debris.

An experienced pilot of the Indian defence forces told IANS: "Normally it would take a week for the debris to float in such cases. But search and rescue operations have to be carried out."

According to him, if the plane broke into several parts, then there may be a possibility of some debris floating.

But if it falls into the sea without breaking, then it may take nearly a week for some items to come to the surface from the sea depth.

"As per our calculations the sea depth in the area of search is around 3,500 metres," T.M. Balakrishnan Nair, Head, Information Services Group, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), told IANS over phone from Hyderabad.

He said the organisation was running models estimating the distance to where the plane debris would have been carried by the sea current.

"In the Bay of Bengal there are several whirlpools that may have dragged down the debris," he added.

Eastern Naval Command chief Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht said that a large number of ships, helicopters and aircraft are contributing to the search.

"We are also seeking ISRO's help to get satellite imagery of that area so that we have at least some information... Parallelly we are also reaching out to families," he said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, after reviewing the search and rescue operations on Saturday, had asked the commanding officers to keep in touch with families of those on board the missing aircraft.

Bisht said the search has been made difficult by the monsoon weather conditions over the sea.

"The only challenge we are facing is of monsoon condition, rough seas; another challenge is the depth which is around 3,500 meters and at some points even more than that," he said.

The cloud base is low and it is raining continuously in the area, he said.

"We are continuously searching the area. As of now we have 12 ships. We will be increasing the assets. We are also doing regular aerial surveillance. The aim is to harness as many resources as possible."

The missing aircraft, an upgraded AN-32 belonging to 33 Squadron, took off from Tambaram Air Force Station in Chennai at 8.30 a.m. and was expected to land at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 11.30 A.M..

The recorded transcript of Chennai air traffic radar showed the last pickup of the aircraft was 151 nautical miles east of Chennai when it was observed to have carried out a left turn with rapid loss of height from 23,000 feet.

The AN-32 is a twin engine turboprop, medium tactical transport aircraft of Russian origin. It can carry a maximum load of around 6.7 tonnes or 39 paratroopers. Its maximum cruise speed is 530 kmph.

--IANS

 

[Indx TechStyle]

A Ray Of Hope Emerges As Family Of Missing IAF AN-32 Crew Member Say His Phone Is Active

Even as the hope of finding survivors from the Indian Air Force AN 32 which mysteriously disappeared last week dwindles, the families of those waiting for the return of their loved ones have got a ray of optimism.

AP/ Representative Image

This, after the family of one of the airmen noticed that the mobile phone of their son was still active.

Raghuvir Verma's family said they dialed his number which was still active, even though no one picked the call, News 18 reported.

"It was she (Raghuvir's mother)who first found out that the phone was ringing last evening. We did not pay much attention to her and thought it to be a rant of a depressed mind. But when we called that number which remained switched off since the plane disappeared, it was ringing. Miracles happen, don’t they?” Lakhichand Verma, Raghuvir’s father told News 18.

A friend of Raghuvir also backed the family's claim and said the 'last seen' status on his messenger app was showing July 26, four days after the flight went missing.

This comes even as the search joint search operations for the AN-32 continue in the Bay of Bengal.

AP

With time running out, India has now sought the assistance of US in the search.

The government is seeking help from American defense forces to ascertain whether their satellites had picked up any signal before the disappearance of the plane, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Rajya Sabha.

AP

The IAF AN-32 with 28 people on board enroute to Port Blair from Chennai had disappeared on 22 July.

Even though a massive search operation was launched, there is hardly any progress on tracking the missing aircraft or ascertaining the reason of its crash.

 

[Rahul Singh]

what about p-8i ???? cant they be used to locate debri?? they are submarine hunters???

Only if debris are under 400m depth. MAD can't detect beyond that depth.

And we are talking about Bay of Bengal in peak weather. With current that strong one might have to look in much larger area.

 

[ezsasa]

Incase anyone is interested in RM's response on the situation in the upper house..

 

[alphacentury]

Whats the point of bragging we are 21st century people, if you cant find a fcking plane? Also that mobile signal thing sounds fishy. Maybe experts here can tell.

ps- I know the how miniscule the size of a plane is compared to the sea.

 

[salute]

require more satellites,more ships,more submarines,more aircrafts and bigger and more capable coast guards .

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Now, 3 premier research vessels set to dive into sea

CHENNAI: After the surface search by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard vessels, now it is the turn of Indian research vessels to prove their mettle in the underwater search for the missing aircraft AN-32.

As eight days of surface search have failed to locate the debris of the aircraft 150 nautical miles East of Chennai, all eyes are on Indian Navy’s Hydrographic vessel INS Nirupak, Geological Survey of India’s oceanographic research vessel Samudra Ratnakar and National Institute of Ocean Technology research vessel, Sagar Nidhi.

All these three vessels are among the best when it comes to underwater search and the Defence Ministry is leaving no stone unturned to locate the missing aircraft.

Apart from NIOT’s Sagar Nidhi, all eyes will be focussed on RV Samudra Ratnakar, the new oceanographic research vessel built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) at its Ulsan shipyard in South Korea. Costing over $100 million, the vessel which was dedicated to the nation in October 2013 is equipped with various scientific equipment. Sources in the Geological Survey of India confirmed that the Defence Ministry had sought the services of their vessel, which is located in Mangalore.

Similarly, Indian Navy’s research survey vessel INS Nirupak, with autonomous underwater vehicle and camera, has already joined the search on Wednesday. The advantage of the ship is that it can go underwater and click the pictures of the seabed. However, it is not sure how clear the resolution would be.

Meanwhile, sources have stressed the need to imbibe the research vessels with more sophisticated technology so that it could be of use during such occasions.

 

[Blackwater]

The Indian Air Force's AN-32 transport aircraft which went missing off the coast of Chennai on July 22 with 29 people on board is not fitted with an underwater locator beacon, making the search operation for its wreckage extremely difficult, NDTV has learned. No debris from the aircraft has been spotted on the surface of the Bay of Bengal so far




:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[smestarz]

even if the plane crashed, they still dont have any trace of it. No sign of wreckage yet

there is no Bermuda triangle, its maintenance triangle, this plane had three serious structural flaws in last month still they went

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Missing IAF plane: Experts debate sabotage theory

Retired IAF officer Ujagar Singh believes that this could be a ploy of inimical neighbours to test whether they can cut off supplies to the Andaman Islands where India has a tri-services command.

CHENNAI: In the absence of debris from the IAF's AN-32 aircraft despite a week-long search using sophisticated surveillance aircraft, ships and submarines, some analysts have raised the possibility of sabotage to explain the flight's disappearance en route to Port Blair.

However, other security experts discredit any possibility of foul play or external interference in the accident.

Retired IAF officer Ujagar Singh believes that this could be a ploy of inimical neighbours to test whether they can cut off supplies to the Andaman Islands where India has a tri-services command that controls deployment of missiles there.

"Investigators should look at the profile of all ships plying in the area at the time of the accident to see if there was any Pakistani or Chinese warship there to explore the possibility of sabotage," he told TOI. The transport plane is very sturdy and can land in difficult conditions which makes the sabotage theory more credible, said Singh.

"Small precision weapons have been developed and one of these could have been tested by a country. These weapons can be fired from a ship if the adversary has intelligence about the movement of IAF planes in the area," he said

.

Singh, who manned the war room at the Eastern Air Command during the 1971 war and also designed the first ultra-high frequency communication system for the IAF, told TOI that the beacon and all on-board sensors on the transport plane could have been jammed by laser beams directed from a foreign vessel and hence there is no signal detected so far from the plane.

However, retired commodore T Hari disagreed, saying, "There can only be two possibilities - laser or missile. But it will be noticeable because all foreign ships in the sea, especially in this region, are plotted and monitored in the control rooms of Chennai and Vizag. There is a maritime domain network which will have all information on all ships."

Hari also said, "In any case, if a plane is shot down from the sky, there will be a lot of debris. There were no debris in the case of the Dornier aircraft which went missing off the Karaikal coast." So, the sabotage theory is like shooting in the dark, he added.

READ MORE:
IAF

 

[Blackwater]

Missing IAF plane: Experts debate sabotage theory

Retired IAF officer Ujagar Singh believes that this could be a ploy of inimical neighbours to test whether they can cut off supplies to the Andaman Islands where India has a tri-services command.




.



READ MORE:
IAF

bakwas

its pure maintenance issue ,, despite 50 billion dollar defense budget

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Missing IAF aircraft: Search vessel finds ‘linear pieces’ under water

Oceanographic research vessel, RV Samudra Ratnakar, deployed for locating the missing IAF aircraft, AN-32, has found linear pieces over a 4,500-sq.km area underwater in the search region, but there is no clarity if these pieces belong to the aircraft.

The ship, belonging to the Geological Survey of India, has found linear pieces at 14 places in the search region. The ship has so far searched 4,500 sq.km out of a total 14,5000 sq.km region earmarked for the search. The parts have not been hauled on to the search vessels.

“We got a report that at 14 places, linear pieces were found. We are not sure if the parts are from the aircraft. These could be rocks, plate movement, or volcanic activity, as these are at a depth of over 3,000 metres,” S. Raju, Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India, told The Hindu. Scientists on board Samudra Ratnakar have sought a re-survey of the region to ascertain confirm if the objects are from the aircraft.

Reflections of objects or anything underwater will be seen on screens on board the research vessel, but at depths of over three km it makes the task of identifying the objects difficult. Wind speeds of 20-25 nautical miles make the task more difficult, Dr. Raju said.

Officials of Coast Guard and the Indian Air Force said the reports could not be confirmed.

 

[Blackwater]

2 possibilities so far as plane not located yet

1) sabotage

2) In capabilities of IAF and IN exposed

 

[pmaitra]

THE AN-32 aircraft which went missing on Thursday had reported three technical snags within a period of less than two weeks this month.

On July 2, the throttle movement of the aircraft was reported as sluggish. On July 7, a hydraulic leak was reported from the port wing root. And on July 14, another snag pertaining to a pressure leak from the port door was reported.

The Indian Express has learnt that the aircraft was last overhauled at 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) in Kanpur in September last year, and had completed 279 flying hours since then.

The AN-32, with the call sign AF 330, was part of 33 Squadron which is based in Sulur.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/in...-32-aircraft-missing-air-force-snags-2929751/
___________________________

Recently, 40 Antonov-32s were overhauled in Ukraine. The report does not specify whether the lost aircraft bearing number AF 330 was one of those overhauled in Ukraine. It appears the Air Force is under pressure to operate aircraft that are unsuitable for flying or are not being repaired properly. With civil war raging and a corrupt oligopoly in charge of affairs in Ukraine, the quality of repairs and parts is suspect.

 

[Screambowl]

Is it just me or there seems to be feeling that either there is Bermuda triangle type zone evolving in this sector OR there is some sort of hanky panky going on.
If we just think, MH 370 apparently disappeared in this area, Another coast guard Dornier, and now this An-32... very very strange, I guess we need to have this area flooded with sensors so that we can know whats going aroumd. A plane going missing and we have no clue whats happening in that area.. unacceptable to be such ignorant as to whats burning behind our ass

This is exactly I wanted to post right now.

I have a heard a lot of stories of missing vessels in Bay of Bengal. The used to say, Bangal ki Khadi mein doob gaya.

Surely this region is mysterious.

 

[pmaitra]

Lot of speculation about para-normal causes, I see.

First off, let us not ignore the fact that the Antonov-32 had some serious mechanical frailties, which most likely caused a mishap.

Secondly, modern day aircrafts are made of metal, and metal doesn't float (now, please don't argue that Sodium floats, because the Antonov-32 was not made of Sodium). Any debris of the plane would be deep under the sea, and if it is under the thermocline, it is going to be next to impossible to detect.

Thirdly, it was a military aircraft, and most probably was carrying ordnance, and like we had a major blast at an Army Ammo Depot recently, the same thing could have happened when the plane was in flight.

 

[Adioz]

Indian Air Force Now Won't Ferry Personnel On Its Main Transporter Aircraft Following Crash Inquiry
Court of Inquiry finds that the AN-32 crash off Chennai on 22 July, in which 29 people died, was caused due to icing.

Russia-made medium transporter aircraft AN-32–the mainstay workhorse of the Indian Air Force (IAF)--will no longer ferry personnel, or civilians, the Indian Air Force has told the Ministry of Defence. It has also recommended that the entire fleet of AN-32s to be replaced as soon as possible.


This follows a Court of Inquiry into the crash of an AN-32 aircraft on July 22 this year off the coast of Chennai. The aircraft crashed into the sea during a routine sortie to Port Blair with 29 people on board. The wreckage of the aircraft hasn't been found. Everyone onboard the ill-fated aircraft are now "presumed dead".


The findings of the Court of Inquiry—recently accepted by the Indian Air Force—says the crash was caused due to a phenomena called "icing", where "super cool water droplets come in contact of the aircraft and freeze, distorting the airframe, causing it to stall," a senior official familiar with the findings of the Court of Inquiry told HuffPost India. The official asked not to be named.


The decision has major implications for India's armed forces and beyond.

The IAF has eight squadrons of the AN-32. An Indian Air Force squadron typically comprises of 16-18 aircraft. The IAF has 33 squadrons of fighter aircraft and 12 squadrons of transport aircraft. The AN 32s were inducted into the IAF between 1984 and 1991.

AN-32 is a versatile transporter pressed into frequent service to carry men and equipment of India's armed forces. They play a major role in connecting far-flung areas, emergency preparedness and disaster relief. If the IAF stops transporting personnel on AN-32s, it will mean sensitive operations will have to use private chartered planes or commercial flights. IAF has one squadron each of Boeing C17 Globemaster and Lockheed C130J. These are very large aircraft unsuited to carry smaller loads. It also has two squadrons of Russia-made IL 76 and six planes of IL 78. These are also heavy-lift transporters that can't play the vital role of AN 32s.

Fatal icing
Modern aircrafts have automated anti-icing systems, whereas in an AN-32, it is manual. The Court of Inquiry has established the pilot tried to avoid bad weather and had even deviated from course. "This indicates pilot awareness," the official said. But why the pilot couldn't take anti-icing measures is not very clear.

In India, icing is typically witnessed between altitudes of 22,000 and 24,000 feet, where the temperatures range between 0 degrees Celsius and minus 15 degrees Celsius.

"Recovery was possible had the pilot climbed higher—above 25,000ft. But these aircraft are old and to climb higher, the pilot would have had to reduce weight. That would mean dumping the load over the sea which was not possible in this case," the official said. The ill-fated transporter was carrying personnel.

This is why the IAF has now told the defence ministry that AN-32 will only carry load that can be dumped over sea in case of an emergency. This means no transporting personnel from now on.

Besides, the IAF has also asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to investigate why the Chennai radar—used to guide civilian air traffic—failed to raise an alarm soon after the AN-32 disappeared. The IAF raised the alarm after the aircraft failed to reach Port Blair—nearly three hours after the aircraft took off. "Crucial minutes were lost. Had the alarm been raised immediately, a rescue and search operation could have been launched earlier," the officer said.

The AN-32 aircrafts joined the IAF in 1984. Unable to replace them, the IAF opted for an upgrade in 2010. Of the total of 104 aircraft in service, about 65 have been upgraded—40 in Ukraine and Russia, and 25 in India. The AN-32 that crashed was an upgraded version.

This sucks.
So, what new aircraft are we looking at?

 

[Adioz]

Its funny how, when the plane crashed, @Blackwater bashed everyone from the Bureaucrats to the Armed Forces, Government to the maintenance crews, for negligence.
Yet since the real cause has been established, he has not returned to discuss.

The cause was icing.

bakwas

its pure maintenance issue ,, despite 50 billion dollar defense budget

2 possibilities so far as plane not located yet

1) sabotage

2) In capabilities of IAF and IN exposed

 

[mavles ihctep]

Time to junk these russian and Ukraine aircrafts.
Why they wasted billions on these junks