1968 Indian Air Force An-12 crash

On 7 February 1968, an Antonov An-12 FOUR engine turboprop transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force piloted by Flight Lieutenant Harkewal Singh and Squadron Leader Pran Nath Malhotra,[3][4][5] disappeared while flying to Leh Airport from Chandigarh.[2] It was on approach to Leh when the pilot decided to turn back due to inclement weather,[1] the aircraft then went missing with the last radio contact over the Rohtang pass. It was declared missing after the failure to find the wreck.

1968 Indian Air Force An-12 crash
An Indian Air Force Antonov An-12, similar to the missing aircraft.
Occurrence
Date7 February 1968 (1968-02-07)
SummaryMissing from 1968 till discovery of mortal remains of one of the victims in 2003
Crashed[1]
SiteDhaka Glacier, India
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAntonov An-12
OperatorIndian Air Force
RegistrationBL534
Flight originChandigarh International Airport, Chandigarh[1]
DestinationLeh Airport, Jammu and Kashmir[1]
Passengers98
Crew4
FatalitiesAll [1]
Missing94 (all) 4 remains recovered[2]
Survivors0

Recovery

In 2003 members of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute who were trekking on the South Dakka Glacier came across the remains of a human body.[2][3] The body was identified as Sepoy Beli Ram, a soldier of the Indian Army who was on the flight.[6]

On 9 August 2007 an Indian Army expedition code named Operation Punaruthan-III,[7] recovered three more bodies.[8]

From 2003 till 2009 three search expeditions have been carried out with the recovery of four bodies.[2] The crash location lies at a height of about 18,000 ft 0 in (5,486.40 m), at a gradient of 80 degrees.

On 21 July 2018 the Times of India reported that a mountaineering team at the Chandrabhaga-13 peak had found a body at the Dhaka glacier base camp.[9] The team found wreckage of the plane along with the remains of a soldier on 11 July 2018.[9][10] The team leader mentioned that the expedition was on a mission to clear up the trash left behind by climbers, and that it was organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the ONGC.[10]

On 18 August 2019, after 13 days of search and recovery operation, a joint team of Indian army and Indian air force recovered several parts of the aircraft like the aero engine, fuselage, electric circuits, propeller, fuel tank unit, air brake assembly and a cockpit door.[11]

See also

References
  1. AN-12 Accident description Aviation Safety Network 31 October 2017
  2. 1968 IAF transport aircraft crash: Mortal remains of victim recovered News 18 31 October 2017
  3. Missing An-12 Mystery Solved after 33 Years War Birds of India 1 September 2003
  4. Flight Lieutenant Harkewal Singh Bharat-Rakshak.com 3 October 2018
  5. Squadron Leader Pran Nath Malhotra Bharat-Rakshak.com 3 October 2018
  6. A wish realised after 35 years The Tribune August 5 2003
  7. Frozen IAF mystery melts Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine The Telegraph 10 August 2007
  8. ID-card may reveal mystery of crashed AN-12 aircraft Sify News 1 August 2012
  9. Climbers find body of soldier killed in 1968 plane crash Times of India 21 July 2018
  10. Mountaineering team stumbles upon 50-yr-old wreckage of IAF plane The Hindu 21 July 2018
  11. "IAF aircraft parts recovered 51 years after crash". 2019-08-18.
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