IAF orders court of inquiry to probe Sukhoi-30 jet crash; no information on pilots

According to reports, debris was found in dense forest area near the China border, around 60 km from Tezpur, where it lost radar contact with the base. “Wreckage found. Close to the last known position of aircraft. As of now weather is bad and the place has dense foliage. Further update follows,” said the IAF in an official statement.

Banerjee also told PTI that “Search for flight data recorder and missing crew will be perused by the ground parties after they reach the crash site.”

The Sukhoi jet had gone missing after taking off from the Tezpur Salonibari air force station in Assam on Tuesday on a routine training sortie. The aircraft had lost radar and radio contact near the China border within less than an hour of its take-off.

An Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 Fighter Jet with 2 pilots on board went missing near Tezpur in Assam . (Source: PTI Graphics)

As part of the massive search operation, Su-30 and C-130 aircraft with electro-optical payload and ALH helicopters had been pressed into service. In addition, more personnel were also deployed to the existing four ground parties of IAF personnel, nine teams of the Indian Army and two teams of the state administration.

The IAF has lost at least seven of the 240 Sukhoi-30MKIs till now since its induction. This is the second time that a Sukhoi-30 of the Tezpur base has met with trouble. Earlier in 2015, a Sukhoi-30 had crashed close to Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary in Nagaon district.

More details to follow