Region
Asia

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-53 in Bombay

Date & Time: Sep 24, 1972 at 0646 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-8
Operator:
Registration:
JA8013
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Frankfurt – Rome – Beirut – Tehran – Bombay – Bangkok – Tokyo
MSN:
45681/214
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
JL472
Location:
Mumbai-Juhu
Maharashtra
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
14
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
108
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On approach to Bombay by night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with rain falls and limited visibility to 1,500 meters. Following a succession of errors, the crew completed the approach to Bombay-Juhu Airport runway 08 (1,143 meters long) instead of Bombay-Santa Cruz International Airport runway 09. After touchdown, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and came to rest in flames into a ravine. All 122 occupants were evacuated, 9 of them were injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 100 in New Delhi: 18 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1972 at 2242 LT
Type of aircraft:
Fokker F27 Friendship
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DME
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Gwalior - New Delhi
MSN:
10175
YOM:
1961
Location:
New Delhi-Palam
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Aircraft flight hours:
24087
Aircraft flight cycles:
20130
Circumstances:
On a night approach to New Delhi-Palam Airport, the captain decided to abandon the landing procedure and initiated a go-around. Few minutes later, while on a second attempt to land, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed 1,600 meters short of runway threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 18 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
During the second approach, the crew decided to descend below the glide. The captain realize he was too low and initiated a go-around manoeuvre but failed to position the flaps in a correct angle, causing the aircraft to stall and to crash. The distance with ground was insufficient to expect a stall recovery. The lack of visibility caused by night remains a contributing factor.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-53 in New Delhi: 86 killed

Date & Time: Jun 14, 1972 at 2018 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-8
Operator:
Registration:
JA8012
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Tokyo – Bangkok – New Delhi – Tehran – Cairo – Rome – Frankfurt – London
MSN:
45680/213
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
JL471
Location:
New Delhi
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
76
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
86
Circumstances:
During a night approach to runway 28 at New Delhi-Palam Airport, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck several houses and crashed in flames on the west shore of the Yamuna River, some 22 km east of the airport. Ten crew members and 72 passengers as well as four people on the ground were killed. Five other occupants were injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire. At the time of the accident, the copilot was the pilot-in-command.
Probable cause:
Japanese investigators claimed a false glide path signal to be responsible for the descent into terrain. Indian investigators say the accident was caused by a total disregard of laid down procedures by the crew and abandoning all instrument indications without properly ensuring sighting of the runway.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-5-DK in Kargong-Mechuka: 5 killed

Date & Time: Dec 17, 1971
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
BJ622
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
14397/25842
YOM:
1944
Location:
Kargong-Mechuka
Jammu and Kashmir
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances near the airport of Kargong-Mechuka, killing all five crew members from the 43rd Squadron.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-224-2 near Cumbum: 21 killed

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1971 at 1225 LT
Type of aircraft:
Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DXG
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Trivandrum - Madurai
MSN:
512
YOM:
1968
Location:
Cumbum
Tamil Nadu
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
27
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
21
Circumstances:
While cruising in marginal weather conditions from Trivandrum to Madurai at an altitude of 5,200 feet, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located in the Megamalai Mountain Range, some 90 km southwest of Madurai Airport. The wreckage was found southeast of Cumbum. All four crew members and 17 passengers were killed while 10 others were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft was off course to the north by 46 km at the time of the accident, probably due to a navigation error on part of the flying crew who misinterpreted some instruments settings.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12A in Ahmadnagar: 11 killed

Date & Time: Aug 16, 1971 at 2030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-12
Operator:
Registration:
BL918
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Pune - Pune
MSN:
4 016 03
YOM:
1964
Location:
Ahmadnagar
Maharashtra
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft departed Pune Airport on a training exercise in the region of Ahmadnagar. While practicing bombing at low height, control was lost and the airplane crashed onto a hill. All 11 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Vickers 768D Viscount in Jaipur

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1971 at 1920 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers Viscount
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DIX
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
New Delhi - Jaipur
MSN:
292
YOM:
1958
Location:
Jaipur
Rajasthan
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
23
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The descent to Jaipur-Sanganer Airport was initiated in poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. Due to low visibility, the captain decided to make a go-around. Few minutes later, a second attempt to land was abandoned and a second go-around was completed. During a third attempt to land, the pilot-in-command landed too far down the runway, about 1,800 feet past the runway threshold. Unable to stop on a wet runway and within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, lost its left main gear and came to rest. All 27 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12B in Calcutta

Date & Time: Jul 29, 1971 at 1458 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-12
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-12993
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Ferry
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Raipur – Calcutta
MSN:
00 347 307
YOM:
1970
Location:
Calcutta-Dum Dum
West Bengal
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was returning to Calcutta-Dum Dum on a ferry flight from Raipur. En route, he was informed that weather conditions worsened in Calcutta with a visibility limited to 2 km. While descending to an altitude of 1,830 meters, the wind component changed and the crew was vectored for an approach to runway 01R which was not equipped with an ILS system. On final approach, while at a distance of 4 km from the airfield, the airplane went through a low pressure area with heavy rain falls. At a distance of 900 meters from the runway threshold, at an altitude of 40/50 meters, the visibility dropped to zero due to torrential rains. ATC informed the crew about the minimums and the navigator advised the captain to initiate a go-around manoeuvre. But the captain continued the descent and passed below the glide until the aircraft struck the ground 198 meters short of runway threshold and 20 meters to the left of the centerline. It slid for several yards and came to rest in a swampy area. All seven crew members were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The airplane entered an area of heavy rains falls, reducing the visibility to zero. In a very short time, the crew lost visual contact with the runway and all visual references with the ground as well, causing the aircraft to pass below the glide and to struck the ground. For unknown reason, the captain failed to initiate a go-around manoeuvre and ignored the different warnings from ATC and his crew. The fact that the crew was not aware about the non precision approach procedures for runway 01R remained a contributing factor.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL near Hasimara: 15 killed

Date & Time: Mar 26, 1971 at 2039 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-ATT
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Guwahati – Bagdogra – Calcutta
MSN:
20363
YOM:
1944
Location:
Hasimara
West Bengal
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Circumstances:
While cruising by night on a flight from Guwahati to Bagdogra, the aircraft deviated from the prescribed track for unknown reason and crashed in a mountainous area located near Hasimara, West Bengal. The wreckage was found six days later and all 15 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
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