SOURCE: SRILANKAN MEDIA
A Sri Lankan Air Force An-32 transport aircraft made an emergency landing at naval airbase INS Hansa on Friday after the aircraft suffered a technical glitch after taking off from the naval base. The aircraft, part of a three aircraft formation, had landed at Goa for scheduled refuelling while on their way to Ukraine for complete overhaul.
Indian Navy engineers detected the fault and repaired the aircraft and the three Antonov An 32s are now expected to fly out on Saturday.
The Sri Lankan Embassy expressed its appreciation to the personnel at INS Hansa for the immediate assistance. “We express our deep appreciation to the Indian Navy for rendering assistance to a Sri Lankan Air Force aircraft and the crew in Goa. It was indeed a gesture of true friendship and cooperation,” said the embassy in a statement.
As per initial reports, the lead aircraft in the formation took off from INS Hansa but the crew detected a malfunction and requested permission to return to INS Hansa.
“The SLAF is grateful to defence wing of Indian high commission in Sri Lanka, Navy and IAF for vital technical assistance given to SLAF aircraft in Goa,” said the Sri Lankan Air Force in a tweet.
