Chennai: A Coastguard Dornier aircraft with three crew members on board is missing since last night off the coast of Chennai.
The aircraft took off from Chennai at 5:30 PM yesterday and lost contact at around 10 PM in Tiruchirapalli.
The aircraft, CG - 791, deployed for surveillance along the Tamil Nadu coast and Palk Bay from the Coast Guard Air Station last night evening failed to return, a press released said today morning.
A search operation has been launched to trace the missing aircraft.
The last contact with the aircraft was about 2100 hrs and Trichy radar tracked the aircraft till 2123 hrs in position 95 nm south of Chennai (off Karikal).
Another aircraft which went on a search mission could not find the missing plane at its last reported location.
5 Coast Guard ships, 4 Naval ships along with ICG and IN aircraft including long range maritime surveillance aircraft P8I are undertaking SAR operation in the area.
The aircraft is the latest induction in the Coast Guard inventory in 2014 and was being flown by highly experience crew.
This is the second such incident in the last two months.
