The last thing that was recorded was a message by the pilot seven minutes before the aircraft disappeared was that due to thick cloud, the flight path would deviate to the right, said Parrikar.
After taking Isro’s help, India on Friday said it has sought the help of the USA in getting satellite imagery for tracing the missing Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 aircraft that ditched into the Bay of Bengal on July 22. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar while replying to an impromptu question on the floor of the Rajya Sabha said this, even as more details emerged about the ill-fated aircraft that was on a routine sortie from Chennai to Port Blair carrying 29 persons, including the crew.
The last thing that was recorded was a message by the pilot seven minutes before the aircraft disappeared was that due to thick cloud, the flight path would deviate to the right, said Parrikar.
“However, at the time of coming down, it actually tilted towards the left and descended very fast from 23,000 feet. There was no SOS from the pilot,” the minister said.
Parrikar said the aircraft was almost at the end of the range of the radar of the civil aviation at Chennai. There is an area around 200 nautical miles off Chennai where there is no radar coverage either from Chennai or Port Blair. And another 8010 minutes into flying, the aircraft would have entered that no radar area, the minister said.
The particular AN -32 aircraft had flown 279 hours after its first overhaul and the pilot had put in about 500 hours on this route, he added.
The minister further said “the possibility of any sabotage is very less.”
The depth of the water in the area where the search teams are currently operating goes as deep as the 3,500 metres and naval ships and a submarine, besides aircraft are scouting the sea for any debris or survivors. The Russian made military transport aircraft AN -32 got airborne at 8.30am from Tambaram IAF base near Chennai. It lost radar contact at 9.12 am.
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