Overview
- The Antonov AN-32 transport aircraft crashed while landing at Rowriah airbase in Jorhat on Saturday, killing five of the six people on board and leaving the co‑pilot injured and in hospital.
- The IAF identified the dead as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam and said crash‑site management is ongoing.
- Senior IAF teams sealed the scene and ordered a Court of Inquiry to determine the sequence of events and whether technical, operational or weather factors were involved.
- Video and eyewitness accounts show the aircraft veering off the runway, breaking into sections and catching fire after touchdown, and emergency firefighting teams responded immediately.
- The crash has renewed scrutiny of the roughly 90–100 AN-32s in Indian service, the fleet’s phased upgrades and a 2022 RFI to replace ageing medium transports with options such as the Airbus C-295, a development that could accelerate safety and procurement reviews.