What happened
The aircraft was operating a scheduled cargo route originating at Chabua Air Force Base in Dibrugarh and destined for Tezpur. The flight plan included an intermediate stop at Ondal. During the en-route phase, while cruising over the southern portion of Arunachal Pradesh, the crew encountered poor weather conditions.
The aircraft subsequently impacted terrain in a remote mountainous region situated approximately 11 km north of Itanagar. Search and rescue operations were initiated immediately but suspended after several days due to the inability to locate any debris or survivors. The wreckage was not recovered until 2007, indicating a prolonged period before the site was identified.
Findings
The accident occurred during the cruise phase in adverse meteorological conditions over difficult terrain. The delay in locating the wreckage highlights the challenges associated with search and rescue operations in remote, mountainous regions of Arunachal Pradesh.