Did the AN-32 suffer a mysterious technical failure seconds before landing? Has this accident near Jorhat airbase taken the life of the pilot? After all, what was the real reason behind the black smoke and explosion rising from the plane? Why do questions persist over AN-32 aircraft despite more than 22 crashes since 1986?
Jorhat (Assam): An ordinary Saturday afternoon suddenly turned into a horrifying scream and a cloud of thick black smoke. An AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) met with a horrific accident during landing at the Roriyah Air Force Station located in the strategically important Jorhat of Assam. As soon as this cargo plane flying from Arunachal Pradesh reached near the runway, it went out of control and crashed. There is a serious suspicion of death of the pilot of the plane in this tragic accident, while there is still suspense regarding the condition of other crew members.
Right near the runway… and then everything went numb
According to eyewitnesses, the plane was preparing to land at Roriya Airport after its routine flight. Everything was normal, but just before the wheels touched the ground, something happened that threw the plane off balance. A local resident living near the boundary wall of the airbase described the shocking incident. He said, “I suddenly saw the tail section of the plane and thick black smoke started rising into the sky. The plane seemed strangely stable. I was about to run away from the area in fear when there was a huge explosion that shook the entire area.” The echo of the explosion was so strong that people several kilometers away were frightened.
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Rescue operation and that heavy moment of silence
As soon as the news of the accident was received, emergency sirens echoed inside the Air Force station. Immediately, a heavy rescue operation force including fire tenders and medical teams was sent towards the debris. An official statement issued by the Air Force said, “A military aircraft crashed while landing at the Air Force Station in Jorhat, Assam. It was an AN-32 cargo aircraft, which is used to deliver goods. It is feared that the pilot may have lost his life in the crash.” At present, work is going on at the incident site on a war footing to remove the debris and search for the remaining crew members, but the silence coming from inside the base is indicating some major loss.
After all, why is this ‘Sainik’ becoming ‘Kaal’ again and again?
This accident has once again raised deep questions on the safety record of AN-32 aircraft. About 22 crashes of AN-32 aircraft have been recorded in India since 1986, with the most recent crash occurring in the year 2025. Despite these frequent accidents, this Soviet-era aircraft still remains the backbone of the Indian Air Force. Its role in delivering logistics and military equipment to the difficult and hilly areas, especially to the front lines in the North-East, is so important that the Air Force cannot even imagine operations without it. But the question remains that for how long will technical flaws or weather continue to cost the lives of our brave pilots?
What kind of shadow is this hovering in the north-east sky?
A dark shadow of accidents seems to be looming over the sky of Jorhat and its surroundings for some time now. There is also concern in defense circles that the crash occurred just months after a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet crashed on the Anglong Ikopi hill during routine training in Bokajan sub-division of Karbi Anglong district, just 60 km from Jorhat Air Base. These back-to-back accidents have put the Air Force on alert mode. Was the real cause of the accident a technical fault, human error or sudden change in weather? To uncover this mystery, the Air Force has immediately ordered the formation of a high level ‘Court of Inquiry’. At present, the eyes of the entire country are fixed on the next official report coming from Jorhat.