Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748

Operator:

Registration:

H1032

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Tambaram – Hyderabad

MSN:

528

YOM:

1971

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Tambaram to Hyderabad, while in cruising altitude, the captain declared an emergency and informed ATC about the failure of an engine. Shortly later, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed near Dubagunta, killing all 22 occupants.

Probable cause:

It was determined that an engine failed in flight and later detached, causing the separation of a wing. The failure of the high compressor disk was the consequence of fatigue cracks that were not detected during the last maintenance inspection.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-2M at Yellahanka AFB: 28 killed

Date & Time: Mar 24, 1991 at 0815 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

H1513

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Yelahanka AFB (Bangalore)

Schedule:

Yellahanka - Yellahanka

MSN:

551

YOM:

1984

Location:

Karnataka

Country:

India

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff from Yellahanka AFB, while climbing to a height of 165 feet, the aircraft stalled and crashed in an open field, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed by fire and all 28 occupants were killed, among them 25 cadets.

Probable cause:

Loss of control during initial climb following an engine failure for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-224-2 in Hyderabad

Date & Time: Mar 5, 1984 at 2046 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-DUO

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Hyderabad - Hyderabad

MSN:

506

YOM:

1966

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

5585

Circumstances:

The aircraft swung to the right when the instructor simulated a no. 2 engine failure after touchdown during a training flight. The trainee and instructor were not able to regain directional control. The trainee then tried to rotate the aircraft although no VR speed call had been made. The airplane did not become airborne and the instructor took over control. He tried to add power on the no. 2 engine, but the propeller auto-feathered. The aircraft ran off the runway and crashed into an airport boundary wall.

Probable cause:

The instructor adopted wrong procedure for simulating starboard engine failure during reject take-off exercise. The trainee-pilot could not recognise the emergency. He handled the situation incorrectly and rotated the aircraft prematurely disregarding decision speed. The instructor took over the controls without proper call out and he also continued for take-off with one engine inoperative on undulated soft ground disregarding decision speed and the circumstances.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-2-224 in Mangalore

Date & Time: Aug 18, 1981 at 1502 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

VT-DXF

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Bangalore - Mangalore

MSN:

511

YOM:

1967

Flight number:

IC557

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

4439

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Bangalore for flight IC557 to Mangalore. After the aircraft became airborne, Mangalore weather was passed to the aircraft indicating deterioration in weather with conditions below minima. The aircraft arrived near Mangalore uneventfully and ATC informed that it was raining and the visibility was 1,000 metres. Therefore, the commander decided to hold the aircraft. A few minutes later, ATC informed that the visibility had improved to 2,000 meters and clouds were 4/8 at 700 feet. Thereafter, the aircraft was instructed to descend to 3,550 feet. Having sighted the runway, the captain turned right to position the aircraft for a left-hand downwind leg of the runway. However, ATC cautioned that the south of the runway was full of low cloud. Therefore, the aircraft took a left-hand circuit for landing. The aircraft landed almost on the middle of the runway at high speed, under adverse weather conditions. The aircraft could not be stopped within the available field length. Its nose wheel was sheared off and the aircraft continued skidding forward and nosed over into a valley beyond the airport plateau and came to stop against two huge boulders on the steep rocky terrain. The aircraft was substantially damaged. Five passengers and two cabin crew received minor injuries. There was a fire under the left-hand engine/wing which was extinguished.

Probable cause:

The pilot persisted in landing under deteriorating weather conditions resulting in unsteady approach and late touchdown at a high speed. The contributory factors were non-extension of flaps to 'land' position, resulting in increasing landing roll, and the choice of landing on down-sloping runway with a tail-component.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-224-2 in Tirupati

Date & Time: Jun 16, 1981 at 1627 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-DXI

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Madras – Tirupati – Hyderabad

MSN:

514

YOM:

1968

Flight number:

IC519

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

5234

Circumstances:

The aircraft crash landed immediately after takeoff about 1-1/2 km southwest of Tirupati Airport. Soon after takeoff, when the aircraft had attained a height of 245 feet above ground level, it encountered heavy rain and the aircraft started losing height with a drop in speed. As this phase of flight flaps were retracted fully inadvertently. In the following 18 seconds, the aircraft sank to ground level and struck the ground in a tail down attitude and crashed. Two crew members received serious injuries and two received minor injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The cause of the accident has been attributed to the aircraft encountering heavy rains and down draught immediately after take off while passing through an active Cumulus Nimbus cloud and poor airmanship exhibited by the flight crew.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-224-2A near Mumbai: 45 killed

Date & Time: Aug 4, 1979 at 2016 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

VT-DXJ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Pune - Bombay

MSN:

515

YOM:

1968

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching Bombay Airport from the southeast by night, the crew encountered technical problems when the airplane struck the slope of Mt Kisoli located 30 km southeast from Bombay Airport. SAR operations were hampered by lack of visibility and heavy rain falls. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 45 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of the combination of the following factors:
- Momentary/intermittent loss of electrical contact in G/S system of aircraft which gave the pilot an erroneous impression of the interception of the glide slope,
- Failure of the pilot to discharge his obligations under DOC 4444 by failing to use the glidepath facility only after the Outer Marker and also in descending below 2910 feet without first cross-checking over the Outer Marker,
- Failure of the radar controller to discharge his obligations under DOC 4444 of giving position information to the aircraft from time to time, use of incorrect and/or non-standard phraseology and also failure to inform the aircraft about the loss of radar contact.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-LFD-2m near Leh: 28 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1979 at 1100 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

H2178

Flight Phase:

Leh-Kushok Bakula Rinpoche

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

572

YOM:

1978

Location:

Jammu and Kashmir

Country:

India

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Ten minutes after takeoff from Leh Airport, while climbing in clouds at an altitude of 16,000 feet, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near the Karmwal Pass. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 28 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-2-247 in Jalanpur

Date & Time: Apr 27, 1975

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

H1520

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

558

YOM:

1974

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances in Jalanpur, about 20 km west of Panagarh Airport. Crew fate unknown.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-2-224 in Hyderabad: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 15, 1973 at 1650 LT

Type of aircraft: