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..:: India Strategic ::. IAF: MH370: Rekindling Memories of IAF’s AN-32
New Delhi. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 for which a frantic search is still on, brings back memories of an IAF (Indian air Force) An-32 transport aircraft, which too disappeared under mysterious circumstances almost 28 years ago over the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft with the tail number K2729 was part of a three-aircraft staggered formation which on March 25, 1986 had taken off from Muscat, Oman at 10 minutes interval from the lead aircraft on its last leg of the ferry from Kiev, Ukraine before reaching the Indian shores at the IAF base at Jamnagar. The aircraft had a crew of three and four passengers. The flight path was mostly over water – Gulf of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. While the lead and the trail aircraft landed safely at Jamnagar after an uneventful flight, K2729 failed to reach its destination. Strangely, even though all three aircraft were flying in relative proximity to each other, there was not even an R/T call from the missing aircraft which could have alerted the other two An-32s or other agencies listening out on the same frequency to take appropriate action. Subsequent search missions launched to locate the aircraft ended in total failure with no trace of the aircraft, as if the sea had gobbled up the entire aircraft and buried it deep in its watery grave.
To redux, after much deliberations, the IAF in early 1980s had decided to buy an upgraded version of the An-26 from the erstwhile Soviet Union to replace its older DC-3 Dakotas and C-119 Packet aircraft to fulfil its tactical transport role. This was the golden era of Indo-Soviet friendship with excellent relations between the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, and the aircraft were being offered at ‘friendship’ prices. Air Marshal (Retd) Ashok Goel, an eminent transport pilot of the IAF recalls the words of the then Joint Secretary (Air) in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Desai, who said in a meeting, “sign as many aircraft as you want, for after a few years even a car may cost more than them. In the event, IAF bought as many as 118 An-32 aircraft on a 20-year military credit arrangement, with no interest liability. Induction of An-32 aircraft into the IAF commenced in 1984 taking a little over three years to complete.
An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26, and was specifically designed for the IAF as its launch customer. Designed for ‘high and hot’ operating conditions, the bigger engines’ nacelles were placed high above the wings, allowing for larger propeller diameter, which are driven by 5,100 hp rated AI-20 turboprop engines – almost twice the power of An-26’s AI-24 power plants.
Known as the 'Sutlej' in the IAF, the An-32 is the workhorse of the transport fleet travelling to far off bases such as Leh, Thoise, Kargil etc in the northern high altitude areas in Ladakh and number of ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds) such as Mechuka, Along, Walong and Vijaynagar etc in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh and adjoining areas to deliver much-needed supplies to the Army outposts in these sectors. In the recent years, IAF’s An-32s have expanded their operational envelope by landing at more remote airstrips such as Nyoma and, even DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie) in Aksai Chin.
The large fleet of An-32s gave IAF the option of re-equipping a number of squadrons with this versatile transport aircraft. In all, eight units were equipped with the An-32s comprising; No.12 Squadron "Yaks" , Agra; No.25 Squadron "Himalayan Eagles" ("B" Flight Only), Chandigarh; No.33 Squadron "Caribous" , Sulur; No.43 Squadron "Ibex" , Jorhat; No.48 Squadron "Camels" , Chandigarh; No.49 Squadron "Paraspears" , Jorhat; Paratroopers Training School, Agra and; Transport Training Wing, Yelhanka.
In a bid to extend An-32’s life, in June 2009, a contract was signed between the Indian government and M/s SFTE Spectechnoexport for a mid-life upgrade of the entire An-32 fleet of the IAF. As reported earlier by India Strategic, the $400 million project envisaged Total Technical Life Extensions (TTLE) for 40 aircraft at designer certified plants in Ukraine, at the rate of 10 aircraft annually. It also included the supply of material and transfer of technology for the upgrade of remaining 64 aircraft at IAF’s No. 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Kanpur. The upgrades in Kiev were to be completed by end March this year, while upgrades at 1 BRD are to be completed by March 2017.
In the An-32 fleet’s three decades of yeomen service to the nation, the IAF has lost about a dozen to accidents, most of which were lost while operating in forward areas in highly inclement weather. First such loss occurred on March 22, 1986 when an An-32 returning from a ‘weather recce (reconnaissance)’ sortie in Leh sector to Pathankot inadvertently impacted a mountain at nearly 19,000ft while descending in IMC conditions – also known
as CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain).
As stated earlier, just three days later i.e. on March 25, 1986, the IAF lost its second An-32. But, why should a brand new aircraft, straight from the factory, on its last leg of ferry to India, disappear without a trace – a question that could never be answered? There were no mountains on its flight path as it was flying over the sea at a comfortable height above sea level. There might have been some clouding but generally the route weather was reported to be fair.
In the absence of any radio call from the crew of the ill-fated aircraft and the fact that no debris were found of the wreckage, the accident has been buried in the IAF’s flight safety archives as ‘Unresolved’. However, what has come to be known – though never fully substantiated – is that the US Navy had launched a massive hunt for a missing carrier borne aircraft of its own at the same time and, in the same area, where K2729 was supposed to have gone down. Unfortunately, there was reportedly no distress call from the USN pilot either, nor the wreckage of aircraft ever found. Could it therefore be a case of a possible mid-air collision, caused by lack of ‘situational awareness’, resulting in immediate disintegration/death of both aircraft and crews giving no time to either of them to initiate a distress call?
In the geopolitical scenarios prevalent in the 1980s, there was hardly a chance for the US and Indian governments to synergise their respective searches for the missing airplanes. In any case, the US Navy never officially admitted to the loss of one of its aircraft in the Arabian Sea on that day in 1986.
Therefore, while a logical inference can be made as to the possible cause for the tragic loss of involved aircraft, nothing concrete can be proved for want of indisputable evidence.
As for the disappearance of the Malaysian Airliner, while large scale speculations from simple hijack to cyber hijack and, from pilot hijack to pilot suicide, etc have run a life of their own, it is hoped the aircraft as a whole or its wreckage will finally be located, to provide enough clues as to what exactly happened to MH370.
New Delhi. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 for which a frantic search is still on, brings back memories of an IAF (Indian air Force) An-32 transport aircraft, which too disappeared under mysterious circumstances almost 28 years ago over the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft with the tail number K2729 was part of a three-aircraft staggered formation which on March 25, 1986 had taken off from Muscat, Oman at 10 minutes interval from the lead aircraft on its last leg of the ferry from Kiev, Ukraine before reaching the Indian shores at the IAF base at Jamnagar. The aircraft had a crew of three and four passengers. The flight path was mostly over water – Gulf of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. While the lead and the trail aircraft landed safely at Jamnagar after an uneventful flight, K2729 failed to reach its destination. Strangely, even though all three aircraft were flying in relative proximity to each other, there was not even an R/T call from the missing aircraft which could have alerted the other two An-32s or other agencies listening out on the same frequency to take appropriate action. Subsequent search missions launched to locate the aircraft ended in total failure with no trace of the aircraft, as if the sea had gobbled up the entire aircraft and buried it deep in its watery grave.
To redux, after much deliberations, the IAF in early 1980s had decided to buy an upgraded version of the An-26 from the erstwhile Soviet Union to replace its older DC-3 Dakotas and C-119 Packet aircraft to fulfil its tactical transport role. This was the golden era of Indo-Soviet friendship with excellent relations between the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, and the aircraft were being offered at ‘friendship’ prices. Air Marshal (Retd) Ashok Goel, an eminent transport pilot of the IAF recalls the words of the then Joint Secretary (Air) in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Desai, who said in a meeting, “sign as many aircraft as you want, for after a few years even a car may cost more than them. In the event, IAF bought as many as 118 An-32 aircraft on a 20-year military credit arrangement, with no interest liability. Induction of An-32 aircraft into the IAF commenced in 1984 taking a little over three years to complete.
An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26, and was specifically designed for the IAF as its launch customer. Designed for ‘high and hot’ operating conditions, the bigger engines’ nacelles were placed high above the wings, allowing for larger propeller diameter, which are driven by 5,100 hp rated AI-20 turboprop engines – almost twice the power of An-26’s AI-24 power plants.
Known as the 'Sutlej' in the IAF, the An-32 is the workhorse of the transport fleet travelling to far off bases such as Leh, Thoise, Kargil etc in the northern high altitude areas in Ladakh and number of ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds) such as Mechuka, Along, Walong and Vijaynagar etc in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh and adjoining areas to deliver much-needed supplies to the Army outposts in these sectors. In the recent years, IAF’s An-32s have expanded their operational envelope by landing at more remote airstrips such as Nyoma and, even DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie) in Aksai Chin.
The large fleet of An-32s gave IAF the option of re-equipping a number of squadrons with this versatile transport aircraft. In all, eight units were equipped with the An-32s comprising; No.12 Squadron "Yaks" , Agra; No.25 Squadron "Himalayan Eagles" ("B" Flight Only), Chandigarh; No.33 Squadron "Caribous" , Sulur; No.43 Squadron "Ibex" , Jorhat; No.48 Squadron "Camels" , Chandigarh; No.49 Squadron "Paraspears" , Jorhat; Paratroopers Training School, Agra and; Transport Training Wing, Yelhanka.
In a bid to extend An-32’s life, in June 2009, a contract was signed between the Indian government and M/s SFTE Spectechnoexport for a mid-life upgrade of the entire An-32 fleet of the IAF. As reported earlier by India Strategic, the $400 million project envisaged Total Technical Life Extensions (TTLE) for 40 aircraft at designer certified plants in Ukraine, at the rate of 10 aircraft annually. It also included the supply of material and transfer of technology for the upgrade of remaining 64 aircraft at IAF’s No. 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Kanpur. The upgrades in Kiev were to be completed by end March this year, while upgrades at 1 BRD are to be completed by March 2017.
In the An-32 fleet’s three decades of yeomen service to the nation, the IAF has lost about a dozen to accidents, most of which were lost while operating in forward areas in highly inclement weather. First such loss occurred on March 22, 1986 when an An-32 returning from a ‘weather recce (reconnaissance)’ sortie in Leh sector to Pathankot inadvertently impacted a mountain at nearly 19,000ft while descending in IMC conditions – also known
as CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain).
As stated earlier, just three days later i.e. on March 25, 1986, the IAF lost its second An-32. But, why should a brand new aircraft, straight from the factory, on its last leg of ferry to India, disappear without a trace – a question that could never be answered? There were no mountains on its flight path as it was flying over the sea at a comfortable height above sea level. There might have been some clouding but generally the route weather was reported to be fair.
In the absence of any radio call from the crew of the ill-fated aircraft and the fact that no debris were found of the wreckage, the accident has been buried in the IAF’s flight safety archives as ‘Unresolved’. However, what has come to be known – though never fully substantiated – is that the US Navy had launched a massive hunt for a missing carrier borne aircraft of its own at the same time and, in the same area, where K2729 was supposed to have gone down. Unfortunately, there was reportedly no distress call from the USN pilot either, nor the wreckage of aircraft ever found. Could it therefore be a case of a possible mid-air collision, caused by lack of ‘situational awareness’, resulting in immediate disintegration/death of both aircraft and crews giving no time to either of them to initiate a distress call?
In the geopolitical scenarios prevalent in the 1980s, there was hardly a chance for the US and Indian governments to synergise their respective searches for the missing airplanes. In any case, the US Navy never officially admitted to the loss of one of its aircraft in the Arabian Sea on that day in 1986.
Therefore, while a logical inference can be made as to the possible cause for the tragic loss of involved aircraft, nothing concrete can be proved for want of indisputable evidence.
As for the disappearance of the Malaysian Airliner, while large scale speculations from simple hijack to cyber hijack and, from pilot hijack to pilot suicide, etc have run a life of their own, it is hoped the aircraft as a whole or its wreckage will finally be located, to provide enough clues as to what exactly happened to MH370.
© India Strategic
New Delhi. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 for which a frantic search is still on, brings back memories of an IAF (Indian air Force) An-32 transport aircraft, which too disappeared under mysterious circumstances almost 28 years ago over the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft with the tail number K2729 was part of a three-aircraft staggered formation which on March 25, 1986 had taken off from Muscat, Oman at 10 minutes interval from the lead aircraft on its last leg of the ferry from Kiev, Ukraine before reaching the Indian shores at the IAF base at Jamnagar. The aircraft had a crew of three and four passengers. The flight path was mostly over water – Gulf of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. While the lead and the trail aircraft landed safely at Jamnagar after an uneventful flight, K2729 failed to reach its destination. Strangely, even though all three aircraft were flying in relative proximity to each other, there was not even an R/T call from the missing aircraft which could have alerted the other two An-32s or other agencies listening out on the same frequency to take appropriate action. Subsequent search missions launched to locate the aircraft ended in total failure with no trace of the aircraft, as if the sea had gobbled up the entire aircraft and buried it deep in its watery grave.
To redux, after much deliberations, the IAF in early 1980s had decided to buy an upgraded version of the An-26 from the erstwhile Soviet Union to replace its older DC-3 Dakotas and C-119 Packet aircraft to fulfil its tactical transport role. This was the golden era of Indo-Soviet friendship with excellent relations between the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, and the aircraft were being offered at ‘friendship’ prices. Air Marshal (Retd) Ashok Goel, an eminent transport pilot of the IAF recalls the words of the then Joint Secretary (Air) in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Desai, who said in a meeting, “sign as many aircraft as you want, for after a few years even a car may cost more than them. In the event, IAF bought as many as 118 An-32 aircraft on a 20-year military credit arrangement, with no interest liability. Induction of An-32 aircraft into the IAF commenced in 1984 taking a little over three years to complete.
New Delhi. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 for which a frantic search is still on, brings back memories of an IAF (Indian air Force) An-32 transport aircraft, which too disappeared under mysterious circumstances almost 28 years ago over the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft with the tail number K2729 was part of a three-aircraft staggered formation which on March 25, 1986 had taken off from Muscat, Oman at 10 minutes interval from the lead aircraft on its last leg of the ferry from Kiev, Ukraine before reaching the Indian shores at the IAF base at Jamnagar. The aircraft had a crew of three and four passengers. The flight path was mostly over water – Gulf of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. While the lead and the trail aircraft landed safely at Jamnagar after an uneventful flight, K2729 failed to reach its destination. Strangely, even though all three aircraft were flying in relative proximity to each other, there was not even an R/T call from the missing aircraft which could have alerted the other two An-32s or other agencies listening out on the same frequency to take appropriate action. Subsequent search missions launched to locate the aircraft ended in total failure with no trace of the aircraft, as if the sea had gobbled up the entire aircraft and buried it deep in its watery grave.
To redux, after much deliberations, the IAF in early 1980s had decided to buy an upgraded version of the An-26 from the erstwhile Soviet Union to replace its older DC-3 Dakotas and C-119 Packet aircraft to fulfil its tactical transport role. This was the golden era of Indo-Soviet friendship with excellent relations between the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, and the aircraft were being offered at ‘friendship’ prices. Air Marshal (Retd) Ashok Goel, an eminent transport pilot of the IAF recalls the words of the then Joint Secretary (Air) in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Desai, who said in a meeting, “sign as many aircraft as you want, for after a few years even a car may cost more than them. In the event, IAF bought as many as 118 An-32 aircraft on a 20-year military credit arrangement, with no interest liability. Induction of An-32 aircraft into the IAF commenced in 1984 taking a little over three years to complete.
An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26, and was specifically designed for the IAF as its launch customer. Designed for ‘high and hot’ operating conditions, the bigger engines’ nacelles were placed high above the wings, allowing for larger propeller diameter, which are driven by 5,100 hp rated AI-20 turboprop engines – almost twice the power of An-26’s AI-24 power plants.
Known as the 'Sutlej' in the IAF, the An-32 is the workhorse of the transport fleet travelling to far off bases such as Leh, Thoise, Kargil etc in the northern high altitude areas in Ladakh and number of ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds) such as Mechuka, Along, Walong and Vijaynagar etc in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh and adjoining areas to deliver much-needed supplies to the Army outposts in these sectors. In the recent years, IAF’s An-32s have expanded their operational envelope by landing at more remote airstrips such as Nyoma and, even DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie) in Aksai Chin.
The large fleet of An-32s gave IAF the option of re-equipping a number of squadrons with this versatile transport aircraft. In all, eight units were equipped with the An-32s comprising; No.12 Squadron "Yaks" , Agra; No.25 Squadron "Himalayan Eagles" ("B" Flight Only), Chandigarh; No.33 Squadron "Caribous" , Sulur; No.43 Squadron "Ibex" , Jorhat; No.48 Squadron "Camels" , Chandigarh; No.49 Squadron "Paraspears" , Jorhat; Paratroopers Training School, Agra and; Transport Training Wing, Yelhanka.
In a bid to extend An-32’s life, in June 2009, a contract was signed between the Indian government and M/s SFTE Spectechnoexport for a mid-life upgrade of the entire An-32 fleet of the IAF. As reported earlier by India Strategic, the $400 million project envisaged Total Technical Life Extensions (TTLE) for 40 aircraft at designer certified plants in Ukraine, at the rate of 10 aircraft annually. It also included the supply of material and transfer of technology for the upgrade of remaining 64 aircraft at IAF’s No. 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Kanpur. The upgrades in Kiev were to be completed by end March this year, while upgrades at 1 BRD are to be completed by March 2017.
In the An-32 fleet’s three decades of yeomen service to the nation, the IAF has lost about a dozen to accidents, most of which were lost while operating in forward areas in highly inclement weather. First such loss occurred on March 22, 1986 when an An-32 returning from a ‘weather recce (reconnaissance)’ sortie in Leh sector to Pathankot inadvertently impacted a mountain at nearly 19,000ft while descending in IMC conditions – also known
as CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain).
As stated earlier, just three days later i.e. on March 25, 1986, the IAF lost its second An-32. But, why should a brand new aircraft, straight from the factory, on its last leg of ferry to India, disappear without a trace – a question that could never be answered? There were no mountains on its flight path as it was flying over the sea at a comfortable height above sea level. There might have been some clouding but generally the route weather was reported to be fair.
In the absence of any radio call from the crew of the ill-fated aircraft and the fact that no debris were found of the wreckage, the accident has been buried in the IAF’s flight safety archives as ‘Unresolved’. However, what has come to be known – though never fully substantiated – is that the US Navy had launched a massive hunt for a missing carrier borne aircraft of its own at the same time and, in the same area, where K2729 was supposed to have gone down. Unfortunately, there was reportedly no distress call from the USN pilot either, nor the wreckage of aircraft ever found. Could it therefore be a case of a possible mid-air collision, caused by lack of ‘situational awareness’, resulting in immediate disintegration/death of both aircraft and crews giving no time to either of them to initiate a distress call?
In the geopolitical scenarios prevalent in the 1980s, there was hardly a chance for the US and Indian governments to synergise their respective searches for the missing airplanes. In any case, the US Navy never officially admitted to the loss of one of its aircraft in the Arabian Sea on that day in 1986.
Therefore, while a logical inference can be made as to the possible cause for the tragic loss of involved aircraft, nothing concrete can be proved for want of indisputable evidence.
As for the disappearance of the Malaysian Airliner, while large scale speculations from simple hijack to cyber hijack and, from pilot hijack to pilot suicide, etc have run a life of their own, it is hoped the aircraft as a whole or its wreckage will finally be located, to provide enough clues as to what exactly happened to MH370.
Published: April 2014
New Delhi. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 for which a frantic search is still on, brings back memories of an IAF (Indian air Force) An-32 transport aircraft, which too disappeared under mysterious circumstances almost 28 years ago over the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft with the tail number K2729 was part of a three-aircraft staggered formation which on March 25, 1986 had taken off from Muscat, Oman at 10 minutes interval from the lead aircraft on its last leg of the ferry from Kiev, Ukraine before reaching the Indian shores at the IAF base at Jamnagar. The aircraft had a crew of three and four passengers. The flight path was mostly over water – Gulf of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. While the lead and the trail aircraft landed safely at Jamnagar after an uneventful flight, K2729 failed to reach its destination. Strangely, even though all three aircraft were flying in relative proximity to each other, there was not even an R/T call from the missing aircraft which could have alerted the other two An-32s or other agencies listening out on the same frequency to take appropriate action. Subsequent search missions launched to locate the aircraft ended in total failure with no trace of the aircraft, as if the sea had gobbled up the entire aircraft and buried it deep in its watery grave.
To redux, after much deliberations, the IAF in early 1980s had decided to buy an upgraded version of the An-26 from the erstwhile Soviet Union to replace its older DC-3 Dakotas and C-119 Packet aircraft to fulfil its tactical transport role. This was the golden era of Indo-Soviet friendship with excellent relations between the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, and the aircraft were being offered at ‘friendship’ prices. Air Marshal (Retd) Ashok Goel, an eminent transport pilot of the IAF recalls the words of the then Joint Secretary (Air) in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Desai, who said in a meeting, “sign as many aircraft as you want, for after a few years even a car may cost more than them. In the event, IAF bought as many as 118 An-32 aircraft on a 20-year military credit arrangement, with no interest liability. Induction of An-32 aircraft into the IAF commenced in 1984 taking a little over three years to complete.
An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26, and was specifically designed for the IAF as its launch customer. Designed for ‘high and hot’ operating conditions, the bigger engines’ nacelles were placed high above the wings, allowing for larger propeller diameter, which are driven by 5,100 hp rated AI-20 turboprop engines – almost twice the power of An-26’s AI-24 power plants.
Known as the 'Sutlej' in the IAF, the An-32 is the workhorse of the transport fleet travelling to far off bases such as Leh, Thoise, Kargil etc in the northern high altitude areas in Ladakh and number of ALGs (Advanced Landing Grounds) such as Mechuka, Along, Walong and Vijaynagar etc in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh and adjoining areas to deliver much-needed supplies to the Army outposts in these sectors. In the recent years, IAF’s An-32s have expanded their operational envelope by landing at more remote airstrips such as Nyoma and, even DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie) in Aksai Chin.
The large fleet of An-32s gave IAF the option of re-equipping a number of squadrons with this versatile transport aircraft. In all, eight units were equipped with the An-32s comprising; No.12 Squadron "Yaks" , Agra; No.25 Squadron "Himalayan Eagles" ("B" Flight Only), Chandigarh; No.33 Squadron "Caribous" , Sulur; No.43 Squadron "Ibex" , Jorhat; No.48 Squadron "Camels" , Chandigarh; No.49 Squadron "Paraspears" , Jorhat; Paratroopers Training School, Agra and; Transport Training Wing, Yelhanka.
In a bid to extend An-32’s life, in June 2009, a contract was signed between the Indian government and M/s SFTE Spectechnoexport for a mid-life upgrade of the entire An-32 fleet of the IAF. As reported earlier by India Strategic, the $400 million project envisaged Total Technical Life Extensions (TTLE) for 40 aircraft at designer certified plants in Ukraine, at the rate of 10 aircraft annually. It also included the supply of material and transfer of technology for the upgrade of remaining 64 aircraft at IAF’s No. 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Kanpur. The upgrades in Kiev were to be completed by end March this year, while upgrades at 1 BRD are to be completed by March 2017.
In the An-32 fleet’s three decades of yeomen service to the nation, the IAF has lost about a dozen to accidents, most of which were lost while operating in forward areas in highly inclement weather. First such loss occurred on March 22, 1986 when an An-32 returning from a ‘weather recce (reconnaissance)’ sortie in Leh sector to Pathankot inadvertently impacted a mountain at nearly 19,000ft while descending in IMC conditions – also known
as CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain).
As stated earlier, just three days later i.e. on March 25, 1986, the IAF lost its second An-32. But, why should a brand new aircraft, straight from the factory, on its last leg of ferry to India, disappear without a trace – a question that could never be answered? There were no mountains on its flight path as it was flying over the sea at a comfortable height above sea level. There might have been some clouding but generally the route weather was reported to be fair.
In the absence of any radio call from the crew of the ill-fated aircraft and the fact that no debris were found of the wreckage, the accident has been buried in the IAF’s flight safety archives as ‘Unresolved’. However, what has come to be known – though never fully substantiated – is that the US Navy had launched a massive hunt for a missing carrier borne aircraft of its own at the same time and, in the same area, where K2729 was supposed to have gone down. Unfortunately, there was reportedly no distress call from the USN pilot either, nor the wreckage of aircraft ever found. Could it therefore be a case of a possible mid-air collision, caused by lack of ‘situational awareness’, resulting in immediate disintegration/death of both aircraft and crews giving no time to either of them to initiate a distress call?
In the geopolitical scenarios prevalent in the 1980s, there was hardly a chance for the US and Indian governments to synergise their respective searches for the missing airplanes. In any case, the US Navy never officially admitted to the loss of one of its aircraft in the Arabian Sea on that day in 1986.
Therefore, while a logical inference can be made as to the possible cause for the tragic loss of involved aircraft, nothing concrete can be proved for want of indisputable evidence.
As for the disappearance of the Malaysian Airliner, while large scale speculations from simple hijack to cyber hijack and, from pilot hijack to pilot suicide, etc have run a life of their own, it is hoped the aircraft as a whole or its wreckage will finally be located, to provide enough clues as to what exactly happened to MH370.
© India Strategic
New Delhi. The disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 for which a frantic search is still on, brings back memories of an IAF (Indian air Force) An-32 transport aircraft, which too disappeared under mysterious circumstances almost 28 years ago over the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft with the tail number K2729 was part of a three-aircraft staggered formation which on March 25, 1986 had taken off from Muscat, Oman at 10 minutes interval from the lead aircraft on its last leg of the ferry from Kiev, Ukraine before reaching the Indian shores at the IAF base at Jamnagar. The aircraft had a crew of three and four passengers. The flight path was mostly over water – Gulf of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. While the lead and the trail aircraft landed safely at Jamnagar after an uneventful flight, K2729 failed to reach its destination. Strangely, even though all three aircraft were flying in relative proximity to each other, there was not even an R/T call from the missing aircraft which could have alerted the other two An-32s or other agencies listening out on the same frequency to take appropriate action. Subsequent search missions launched to locate the aircraft ended in total failure with no trace of the aircraft, as if the sea had gobbled up the entire aircraft and buried it deep in its watery grave.
To redux, after much deliberations, the IAF in early 1980s had decided to buy an upgraded version of the An-26 from the erstwhile Soviet Union to replace its older DC-3 Dakotas and C-119 Packet aircraft to fulfil its tactical transport role. This was the golden era of Indo-Soviet friendship with excellent relations between the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and the then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, and the aircraft were being offered at ‘friendship’ prices. Air Marshal (Retd) Ashok Goel, an eminent transport pilot of the IAF recalls the words of the then Joint Secretary (Air) in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Desai, who said in a meeting, “sign as many aircraft as you want, for after a few years even a car may cost more than them. In the event, IAF bought as many as 118 An-32 aircraft on a 20-year military credit arrangement, with no interest liability. Induction of An-32 aircraft into the IAF commenced in 1984 taking a little over three years to complete.
