Aircraft Crash in the Sea Near Ratmalana Airport (CR-861)

Incident Overview and Flight Details An aircraft departed Colombo-Ratmalana Airport on a flight to Palaly Air Force Base in Jaffna. The aircraft was carrying 70 soldiers and five crew members, for a total of 75 occupants. The specific aircraft type, registration, operator, and date of the accident are not provided in the source material. ## Emergency Declaration and Loss of Control Few minutes after takeoff, the crew declared an emergency and reported technical problems with the instruments. After being cleared to return, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn at an altitude of 8,000 feet. During this maneuver, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the sea approximately 40 km north-northwest of Ratmalana Airport. ## Impact and Casualties The aircraft disintegrated on impact. All 75 occupants on board were killed. ## Environmental Conditions It was reported that weather conditions at the time of the accident were poor, with thunderstorm activity present.