Coast guard Dornier aircraft with three crew members missing off Chennai coast

TNN

Chennai, 09 June 2015: A Dornier aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard, which took off from Chennai airport on Monday evening, has gone missing.

 

The aircraft had three crew members and was on a low altitude flying mission along the Tamil Nadu coast and the Palk Bay.

 

Chennai airport sources said the plane took off at 6pm. It had an endurance of six hours flight.

 

Another aircraft which went on a search mission could not find the missing plane at its last reported location.

 

 

The coast guard has launched a search and rescue operation.

 

Dornier aircraft belonged to Indian coast guard carrying two pilots and an observer. It lost its contact with the base from 9pm onwards. It was supposed to return to the CG-base at 10pm in Chennai.

 

Coast guard sent the flight as a part of routine observation before kicking off ’Operation Hamla’ in the state to check the preparedness to encounter terror attacks. Operation Hamla has been postponed now due to the incident. The aircraft disappeared north-east off Karaikal coast about 40 nautical miles.

 

"The coast guard Dornier aircraft CG -791 deployed for surveillance along the Tamil Nadu coast and Palk Bay from the coast guard air station in Chennai last evening, failed to return to base," the defence ministry said in a statement.

 

The coast guard and the Navy have launched a search and rescue operation. Five coast guard and four Navy ships have been deployed, besides a few aircrafts.