RANCHI: The Indian Navy has located the wreckage of the missing trainee aircraft, a Cessna-152 VT Taj from Alchemist Aviation, in Jamshedpur’s Chandil Dam. The aircraft, which had been missing since August 20, was discovered by Navy divers in the Koyalgadh area of the dam on Monday. The bodies of the two pilots who were on board were recovered from Chandil Dam the day after the aircraft went missing.
The aircraft was discovered in the Koyalgadh area of the Chandil Dam. According to officials, the aircraft took off from Sonari airport in Jamshedpur at around 11 am on August 20 and was last located near Nimdih in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district of East Singhbhum. The search operation, which began on Sunday, involved four motor boats and focused on the areas around Kistopur and Kalyanpur. After moving approximately 2 km, the team received the first signal from super sonar near the submerged village of Koyalgadh.
Two Navy divers initially attempted to locate the aircraft in the murky waters but were unsuccessful on their first try. On their second attempt, they found the aircraft at a depth of 15 meters, overturned with its wheels facing upward. The divers retrieved one of the plane's wings and marked the location for further operations.
The Navy plans to use a large gas-filled balloon to lift the aircraft from the water. This balloon, which can support more weight than the plane, will be attached to the aircraft by the Navy’s technical team. The team will secure the aircraft with ropes before using the balloon to raise it to the surface.