Region
Asia

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-20-DK in Nagpur: 10 killed

Date & Time: Feb 2, 1955 at 0350 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-CVB
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Madras – Nagpur – New Delhi
MSN:
13037
YOM:
1944
Location:
Nagpur
Maharashtra
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Captain / Total flying hours:
5867
Captain / Total hours on type:
2778.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3671
Copilot / Total hours on type:
268
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Nagpur Airport runway 09 at 0348LT on a flight to New Delhi. Two minutes later, while climbing at low height, the pilot-in-command attempted a steep turn to the left when the aircraft stalled and crashed in a huge explosion in an open field located 5,650 feet from the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all ten occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The aircraft crashed as a result of slipping into the ground in the course of a badly executed steep turn to port carried out at night at a low altitude. No importance need be attached to the fact that the captain took a turn to the left instead of to the right, as is generally done by most of the pilots when taking off for Delhi from Runway 27. We find from the record that it was not unusual for the pilot in question to take a turn to the left but the mistake lay in badly executing a turn. The reason for such a steep turn is not easy to ascertain. It is possible that the pilot may have done so in order to get on course quickly. It is also possible that he relied on visual reference instead of flying entirely on instruments as he should have done, thereby going into a turn steeper than intended, or it may be that he was misled by the instruments.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Guwahati: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1955 at 0729 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-COZ
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Calcutta – Guwahati
MSN:
13569
YOM:
1944
Location:
Guwahati
Assam
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The aircraft took off from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport on a scheduled freighter service flight at 0546 hours Indian Standard Time and set course for Guwahati, carrying a crew of three. At 0722 hours, the aircraft contacted Air Traffic Control, Guwahati, on radio telephony and reported flying under visual flight rules, 25 miles away from Guwahati Airport at an altitude of 6 000 feet. The Air Traffic Control Officer on duty passed the altimeter setting to the aircraft, cleared it to descend under VFR and instructed it to call when ten miles from the airport. The aircraft asked for a bearing on frequency 119.7 (Homer) at 0725 hours and a bearing of 045° class 'A' was given. This was confirmed as correct by the aircraft, which also reported being 15 miles from the airport at a height of 3 000 feet at that time. The next contact with Guwahati Tower was at 0727 hours when it reported being at a distance of 10 miles from the airport. Landing instructions were passed to the aircraft and it was asked to call again on joining circuit. There was no further communication with the aircraft. At approximately 0729 the duty officer at the tower noticed black smoke at the top of a patch of fog to the south of the airport. Repeated calls were made to the aircraft on 118.1 Mc/S and 6 440 Kc/S but no response was received. At about the same time persons in Tarapati village saw the aircraft hit some arecanut trees, crash in a field and burst into flames. The captain and the copilot died instantly and the radio officer died en route to the hospital. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The aircraft crashed in the course of a premature descent, during the final approach, as a result of hitting arecanut trees which were obscured from view by fog in the area. Some other points which call for observations have come out in the course of the evidence and though they do not directly pertain to the cause of this accident are well worth mentioning.
- Operational control was not exercised for this flight and the operator had not designated a representative for this purpose as required by Notice to Air- men No. 29 of 1952,
- The meteorological briefing of the pilot was not complete in as much as the terminal weather forecast for the alternate aerodrome was not obtained by him,
- The manuals used by the crew of this aircraft were not complete or up-to-date.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide near Jodhpur: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 15, 1954
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
Operator:
Aeroservices
Registration:
G-AKLA
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Delivery
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Jodhpur – Hanoi
MSN:
6764
YOM:
1947
Location:
Jodhpur
Rajasthan
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Jodhpur Airport, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances about 60 km east of the city. Both pilots were killed. They were in charge to deliver the airplane in Hanoi.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-30-DK in Saugaon

Date & Time: May 15, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DGO
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Calcutta – Saugaon
MSN:
16166/32914
YOM:
1945
Location:
Saugaon
West Bengal
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach, the aircraft was too high and instead of making a go around, the pilot-in-command preferred to land and increased the rate of descent. As the end of the runway was approaching, he raised the undercarriage and completed a belly landing. The aircraft slid for dozen yards before coming to rest. The crew was uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-30-DK in Calcutta: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 30, 1954 at 0918 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Darbhanga Aviation
Registration:
VT-DEM
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Calcutta – Bālurghāt
MSN:
13792/25237
YOM:
1944
Location:
Calcutta
West Bengal
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport, while in initial climb, the port engine failed. The aircraft pitched up, stalled and eventually crashed in a coconut grove located about one km from the airfield. All three crew members and two passengers were killed while six other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the probable cause of the accident was as follow:
- Delay in feathering after failure of the port engine (due to inexperience of the pilot in emergency procedures), which resulted in a loss of height,
- the subsequent attempt to establish a climb with a nose-high attitude (to get over the obstructions), below the recommended single-engine rate of climb speed, with both gear and flaps up,
- the progressive loss of airspeed which finally resulted in a stall on a coconut tree. Although there is no doubt that the profuse smoke emanating from the port engine was due to the failure of the engine, it was not possible to determine the primary cause of that failure.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in New Delhi: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 25, 1954 at 1100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-ATU
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
New Delhi - New Delhi
MSN:
20358
YOM:
1944
Location:
New Delhi-Safdarjung
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local test flight out from New Delhi-Safdarjung Airport, a mission that was part of the official investigations from the Indian Civil Aviation Authorities following the crash of a C-47 at Nagpur on 12 December 1953. On approach to Safdarjung Airport, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in the district of Jammu Bridge, near the airfield. While nobody on the ground was injured, all three crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-DK in Nagpur: 13 killed

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1953 at 0325 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-CHF
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Nagpur – Madras
MSN:
11810
YOM:
1943
Location:
Nagpur
Maharashtra
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
The aircraft started its take-off run and became airborne in the normal manner somewhere near the intersection of runways 27 and 33. The captain of another aircraft who had moved to the beginning of runway 27 for his turn for take off, watched the take-off of the aircraft and noticed that it became airborne normally but swung to the left when at a height of about 10 or 15 feet. It then climbed steeply on a straight course until it had well passed the end of the runway, and reached a height of about 100 to 150 feet. Thereafter it turned sharply to the left, lost height and crashed in a field located 4,000 feet from the runway. All 10 passengers and three crew members were killed. The captain Desmond Arthur James Cartner was the only survivor.
Probable cause:
Loss of critical height during a steep left hand turn, with the undercarriage down, executed by the pilot at an unsafe altitude in an attempt to return to the aerodrome, after experiencing a temporary loss of power of the left engine soon after getting airborne. A false right engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at a forced landing. The following findings were reported by the Calcutta High Court:
- The port engine of the plane lost power after getting air-borne causing a swing and that it was due to defective supervision and check up,
- The swing corrected itself when the port engine revived again,
- In spite of failure of the port engine and/or correction thereof, the Captain and/or Pilots in charge did not follow the ordinary and usual procedure under such circumstances, namely, did not throttle back the engine and land straight ahead though there was sufficient length of runway available in front, to land and pull up even with the wheels down and certainly with the wheels up,
- Even though the engine revived, the fact that the gear was down was overlooked by both the pilots,
- A false starboard engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at forced landing obviously on account of defective supervision and check up,
- The lack of sufficient intensive checks for emergency procedures during the past twelve months preceding the accident which it is alleged, if carried out, might have given the pilot confidence, apart from practice enabling him to deal coolly with an emergency of this nature.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth near Forbesganj

Date & Time: Nov 27, 1953
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth
Operator:
Nalanda Airways
Registration:
VT-CLU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Patna – Forbesganj
MSN:
FM.51
YOM:
1948
Location:
Forbesganj
Bihar
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While descending to Forbesganj on a flight from Patna, the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing for unknown reason. All three occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 in Calcutta

Date & Time: Jul 25, 1953
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.106 Comet
Operator:
Registration:
G-ALYR
Flight Phase:
Taxiing
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Calcutta – New Delhi
MSN:
6004
YOM:
28
Location:
Calcutta
West Bengal
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
36
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Because taxi lights were too dim to use at night, the crew had to use the landing lights while taxiing. Both lights had to be alternated left and right to avoid a meltdown by using a switch behind the captains seat. In a left hand turn the captain took his left hand off the steering wheel to select another landing light. The steering centered, and then the aircraft right wheel bogies ran off the paved surface. Engine power was applied on the two right engines, causing the bogie struts to be forced up and into the wing structure causing much damage.
Source:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19530725-0

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in New Delhi: 18 killed

Date & Time: May 9, 1953 at 0128 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-AUD
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
New Delhi – Ahmedabad – Bombay
MSN:
13716
YOM:
1944
Location:
New Delhi-Palam
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from runway 09 at New Delhi-Palam Airport, while climbing to a height of about 500 feet, the copilot made a steep turn to the right when the airplane stalled and crashed in a huge explosion in a wasteland located about 2 km southeast of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 18 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The probable cause was an error of judgment on the part of the supernumerary pilot, flying as first officer, who executed a steep starboard turn could not come out of the overbanked turn in time because of the low altitude. Inexperience of the pilot with the type of the aircraft he was flying is deemed to be an indirect cause of the accident.
Final Report:
Subscribe to India