8 days on, family of missing Dornier's crew member hope for his return

Chennai, June 16: The family members of one of the three crew members aboard a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft that has been missing since June 8 are confident he will return home safely.

The missing aircraft had on board Deputy Commandant Vidyasagar as pilot, his co-pilot and Deputy Commandant Subash Suresh and navigator/observer MK Soni -- all in their 30s.

The family of Subash Suresh reminisces how he was named after freedom fighter Subash Chandra Bose. Now, they hope he returns home unscathed and does not meet the fate of the leader after whom he was named.

"Subash's father Suresh likes Subash Chandra Bose. And he named his son after the freedom fighter," his mother Padma Suresh told IANS.

"We are sure he will come back alive. His friends from different cities have come here to lend us the moral support," she added.

"Subash joined the Coast Guard in 2009 and has logged around 1,500 hours of flying. He was a gold medallist in his batch," she said.

The 1985 born mechanical engineer decided to go for a pilot licence instead of doing an MS.

"Even as a child he had a passion for flying. He wanted to do the pilot course. We also agreed. He went to the US and completed the course," said Padma Suresh, holding back her tears.

"On his return he wanted to serve the nation first before joining a commercial airline as a pilot and joined the Coast Guard in 2009 on short commission. He would have come out of Coast Guard in 2017," she said.

He is very much interested in sports, movies and has lots of friends.

"Whenever he is at home, his friends would also be there," she said.

She said the Coast Guard is doing their best in trying to locate the missing aircraft.

"We are positive about his safe return. We do not want bad energy affecting the family and others by crying. It is not that we do not cry at our situation. But we are hoping for the best. We are sure he will come back," the brave mother said.

Subash Suresh's wife Deepa Subash has created a twitter account and tweeted to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO): "8 days since my husband Subash Suresh pilot of CG791 missing. Request your attention."

The couple has a baby.

IANS