NEW DELHI, June 13 (STL.News) – An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 transport aircraft crashed on Saturday at the Jorhat Air Force Station in the northeastern state of ASSAM. The twin-engine turboprop plane experienced a technical fault shortly after takeoff during a routine sortie.
The aircraft skidded off the runway and caught fire while attempting an emergency landing. While initial reports indicated five deaths, official updates clarified that six people were on board. The co-pilot survived the incident and is receiving emergency medical treatment.
The five personnel who lost their lives were identified as Squadron Leader Rashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveer Kim Kumarat, and Danish Alam. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his condolences to the grieving families.
“A formal Court of Inquiry has been constituted to investigate and ascertain the exact technical or operational cause of the accident,” the official statement read.
The Indian Air Force continues to manage the crash site as initial inquiries proceed to determine what led to the failure of the transport plane.
