New Delhi: An Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft crashed at the Roureah Air Force Station in Assam’s Jorhat district on Saturday, with fears that the pilot may have lost his life in the accident.
The aircraft, an AN-32 cargo plane used for transporting personnel and supplies, reportedly went down while attempting to land at the strategically important air base in Upper Assam. It was flying from Arunachal Pradesh to Jorhat when the crash occurred.
In a statement, the IAF confirmed the accident and said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the crash.
“A military aircraft crashed at the Air Force Station in Jorhat, Assam, during landing. The aircraft involved was an AN-32 cargo plane used for transporting supplies. The accident occurred while the aircraft was attempting to land at the airbase. There are fears that the pilot may have lost his life in the crash. Further details are awaited as rescue and investigation efforts continue at the site,” the Air Force said.
Sources said the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft is feared dead, though details regarding any other crew members on board were not immediately available.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing thick black smoke rising from the crash site, followed by a loud explosion.
“I could see the tail section of the aircraft and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The plane appeared to be stationary. As I started moving away from the area, there was a massive explosion. The entire area shook from the impact,” a local resident living near the boundary wall of the Air Force Station said.
The cause of the accident remains unknown and will be established through the inquiry. The AN-32, inducted into the IAF in the 1980s, is one of the force’s most extensively used transport aircraft and plays a crucial role in logistics and operational missions, especially in the Northeast and other remote regions.
The aircraft, however, has been involved in several accidents over the years. Since 1986, the AN-32 fleet has witnessed around 22 crashes in India, including one in 2025.
The latest crash comes months after an IAF Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet crashed during a routine training mission in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, around 60 kilometres from Jorhat Air Base.
Roureah Air Force Station is one of the Indian Air Force’s key installations in the Northeast and plays a vital role in air operations across Assam and neighbouring states. Rescue operations and investigations are underway, with more details expected to emerge in the coming hours.
