The 1968 Indian Air Force (IAF) crash refers to a tragic accident involving an IAF aircraft that occurred under circumstances that left a significant impact on the country's aviation history.
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The aircraft involved in the 1968 crash was a Soviet-origin Antonov An-12, a four-engine turboprop transport plane.
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The aircraft was on a supply mission to the forward bases of the Indian military in Ladakh, near the India-China border.
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The crash occurred on February 7, 1968, when the An-12 was flying over the Rohtang Pass, located in the Himalayan region.
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It is widely believed that the aircraft encountered a sudden and severe snowstorm while flying over the Rohtang Pass.
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Immediate search and rescue operations were launched, but the exact location of the crash remained elusive for decades.
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In 2003, that mountaineers and trekkers stumbled upon the wreckage of the An-12 in the Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
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The crash of the An-12 in 1968 remains one of the most tragic and mysterious incidents in Indian military aviation history.