By Chaitanya Mallapur
Forty-one military aircraft -- including trainers and helicopters -- have crashed between April 1, 2012 and July 2016, killing 65 defence personnel and civilians
Thirty-six defence personnel were killed in 39 crashes, according to data released by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to the Lok Sabha on February 26, 2016.
"No civilians were killed in these crashes," the Lok Sabha reply said.
Of these, the IAF reported the most crashes (28), followed by the army (7) and the navy (4).
In addition, an advanced jet trainer of the IAF crashed in West Bengal on August 4, 2016 and both pilots ejected safely.
An IAF AN-32 plane carrying 29 people went missing after it took off from Chennai on July 22, 2016. Media reports suggest that the aircraft was not fitted with an underwater locator beacon, and that made search operations difficult.
As many as 15 AN-32 aircraft of the IAF crashed between 1986 and 2014, (the year of one crash was unknown), according to Aviation Safety Network data, an online portal that tracks airliner accidents world-wide.
The Russian-made AN-32 plane is a medium tactical transport aircraft that can carry 39 troops and five crew.
(05.08.2016. In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with which Chaitanya Mallapur is an analyst. The author can be reached at respond@indiaspend.org)
