An Indian Air Force An-32 military transport aircraft crashed during landing at Jorhat airfield in the northeastern state of Assam. The incident occurred on Saturday morning during the final approach phase of landing.
Emergency rescue services have been deployed to the scene. Military officials have not yet disclosed information about possible casualties or injuries, nor the causes of the accident.
This incident is another reminder of the difficult fate of the An-32 fleet in India. Aircraft of this type have been involved in serious accidents on Indian soil multiple times, including from the Jorhat base. In 2019, an An-32 that crashed in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, killing 13 servicemen, took off from there.
Separately, in the history of An-32 operations, one of the most severe aviation disasters involving this type is mentioned – the tragedy in Kinshasa on January 8, 1996. At that time, a Russian An-32B cargo aircraft of "Moskovskiye Vozdushnye Linii" airline, attempting to take off, failed to lift off the runway at Kinshasa airport, overran the runway, and crashed into a nearby market. According to various sources, up to 298 people died, including one crew member, and hundreds of people on the ground were injured, making this incident one of the largest ground disasters by number of victims in an aviation incident involving this type of aircraft.
An-32 is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft of Soviet design, created in the late 1970s for operation in hot climates, high altitudes, and limited airfield infrastructure. Aircraft of this type have long remained the backbone of India's tactical transport aviation.
The Indian Air Force operates about a hundred such aircraft, supplied during the Soviet period. Deliveries of An-32s to India took place in the 1980s – early 1990s, with a total of about 110 units transferred.
An-32 Technical Specifications:
- Wingspan: 29.2 m
- Aircraft length: 23.7 m
- Height: 8.75 m
- Wing area: 74.98 m²
- Cruising speed: 500–530 km/h
- Cruising altitude: 8000 m
- Service ceiling: 8100 m
- Maximum takeoff and landing weight: 27,000 kg
- Empty aircraft weight: 16,800 kg
- Equipped aircraft weight: 17,308 kg
- Maximum fuel capacity: 5500 kg
- Maximum payload: 6.7 t
- Flight range: — with 6.7 t payload — 780 km — with 5.0 t payload — 1600 km — with maximum fuel and 4.3 t payload — 2050 km
- Required runway length: 1800 m
- Engines: 2 × AI-20D-5M
- Engine power: 2 × 3812 kW (5180 ehp)
- Crew: 3 people (commander, co-pilot, flight engineer)
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