India

The twin engine aircraft departed New Delhi-Indira Gandhi Airport on an ambulance flight to Kulu-Bhuntar, carrying three doctors and two pilots. While descending to Kulu-Bhuntar Airport in IMC conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 20 km from the destination airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all five occupants were killed.

Alliance Air Flight No. CD-7412 departed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 0651 hrs. on 17th July, 2000 bound for Patna-Lucknow-Delhi. After normal departure from Runway 01R, the aircraft climbed to FL260 on track to Patna via route W52. The aircraft was under the control of Kolkata Radar from 0652 hrs. to 0659 hrs. It changed over to Kolkata Area Control Centre. The aircraft reported position SAREK at FL 260 at 0712 hrs. and changed over to Patna Control with information that there was no reported traffic for descent. The aircraft contacted Patna ATC at 0713 hrs. and gave it’s ETA at Patna as 0736 hrs. Patna ATC cleared the aircraft to PPT VOR ILS/DME ARC Approach for R/W 25. The ATC Officer communicated that Patna METAR originated at 0650 hrs. stated “Wind calm, Visibility 4000 metres, Weather Haze, Clouds Broken 25000 feet, temp 29ºC, Dew Point 27º, QNH 996 hPa, No Sig”. The aircraft was cleared to descend to 7500’ and report 25 DME from PPT VOR. The aircraft reported 25 DME at 0726 hrs. The aircraft then descended to 4000’ on QNH 996 hPa and was asked to report 13 DME for ILS/DME ARC Approach R/W 25. The aircraft reported commencing the ARC at 0728 hrs. The aircraft reported crossing lead radial 080 at 0731 hrs. and coming on to the Localizer. The aircraft was then asked to descend to 1700’ on QNH 997 hPa with instructions to call established on Localizer. The aircraft informed Patna ATC at 0732 hrs. that it would like to do a 360º turn due to being high on approach. Patna ATC sought confirmation from the aircraft whether it had the airfield in sight and on receiving an affirmative reply, asked the aircraft to report on finals for R/W 25 after carrying out a 360º turn. This was acknowledged by the aircraft at 0732 hrs. This was the last communication from the aircraft. Immediately thereafter, the aircraft was spotted by the Air Traffic Controller in normal descent aligned with the R/W 25. It, however, appeared to be high on approach. The aircraft then turned steeply to the left losing height all of a sudden and disappeared from sight behind a row of trees. The Air Traffic Controller observed a huge column of smoke rising from the Gardani Bagh area outside the airfield perimeter and initiated crash action. All six crew members and 49 passengers were killed as well as five people on the ground. Three passengers escaped with serious injuries.

The aircraft was approaching Bangalore-Hindustan Airport when it crashed in unknown circumstances in the district of Vijayanagar, about 13 km short of runway 09 threshold. There were no casualties.

The aircraft departed Mehran NAS in Karachi on a survey flight over Kashmir and the Pakistan/India border. On board were 16 crew members, six officers and 10 marines attached to the Pakistan Navy Corps based at Mehran NAS, Karachi. In flight, the aircraft was shot down by an air-air missile shot by the pilot of an Indian MiG-21 fighter. The Breguet entered a dive and crashed in the Rann of Kutch, Indian territory. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 16 occupants were killed.

While descending to New Delhi-Indira Gandhi Airport runway 10, the crew encountered poor visibility due to thick fog and requested ATC assistance. On short final, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck successively a concrete water tank and power cables then crashed in the Pappankalan district, about 2,4 km short of runway. The aircraft and a building were destroyed. All 18 occupants were killed as well as three people on the ground.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Paris to Chennai with intermediate stops in Karachi and Bangalore, carrying five crew members and a load of various goods including three cars, 20 tons of cigarettes, chemicals and clothing for a total weight of 66 tons. The aircraft was cleared for a runway 07 ILS approach, but the approach was abandoned due to indications that the undercarriage was not down and locked. The flight crew concluded that all gear were down and locked despite a red GEAR light on the forward instrument panel. The crew had failed to recognize that the green GEAR DOWN light for the nose gear was not illuminated and assumed that the red GEAR light on the forward instrument panel was a false indication. The gear was recycled, but an alternate extension was not attempted. The pilot positioned the airplane for another approach. The aircraft touched down with the nose gear retracted. The nose struck the runway. The plane skidded and came to rest at 7000 feet down the runway (which is 13050 feet long). As the pilot informed the ATC of the mishap, he noticed smoke in the cockpit. Even as the smoke was being extinguished, flames erupted in the front portion of the aircraft. One of the crewmembers came down through a rope ladder from the cockpit, the other four were brought down through the rear of the aircraft using the fire engine step ladders. The fire services were not able to extinguish the fire and the plane burned out completely.

After takeoff from Arakkonam-Rajali NAS, en route to Tambaram AFB, the pilot contacted ATC and declared an emergency and reported major technical problems. He was cleared to return for an emergency landing. On final approach, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a wooded area located 2,5 km short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were killed.

The aircraft was completing a flight from Agathi to Thiruvananthapuram with an intermediate stop in Cochin, carrying three passengers and three crew members. After takeoff from runway 17, at a height of about 400 feet, the aircraft pitched up steeply to a near vertical attitude and thereafter appeared to perform a manoeuvre similar to a stall turn to the right and crashed on the roof of the Component Repair Shop (CRS) building of the Naval Aircraft Yard. After impact the aircraft caught fire and was totally destroyed. All six occupants were killed as well as three people in the building. Six others received minor injuries.

SAIL King Air F90 aircraft VT-ELZ was involved in an accident near Bhilai Airfield on 02-02-98 during private flight from I.G.I. Airport, New Delhi to Bhilai Airfield. The pilot while on direct track to Bhilai at 76 DME from Raipur and FL070 insisted for further descent reporting bad weather. ATC Raipur cleared him for descend to 2,700 feet on QNH of Raipur i.e. below MORA and MSA. On descending the navigation and communication guidance became intermittent and unreliable. Due to severe weather activities the aircraft diverted 40 NMs right of the track. The pilot while steering in the Easterly direction i.e. towards the destination in the darkness on the evening hours flew into rising terrain and collided with a hill resulting into fatal injuries to all the occupants
and post accident fire. Aircraft was completely destroyed. Crash occurred 10 minutes to ETA.

The aircraft took-off from runway 27 of Mumbai Airport at 2216 UTC of 2.7.97 (0346 IST of 3.7.97). After take off the pilot reported to Tower, "VSA is turning left Sir, thousand two hundred, we are entering weather otherwise", to which tower acknowledged and asked VT-SSA to contact Radar. The aircraft contacted Radar and was asked to establish radial 146 and report passing FL080, climb level 170 for which aircraft acknowledged, "Roger, call you establish 146 passing 70 and reaching 170 SA." This was the last transmission from the aircraft. The aircraft crashed into the Arabian Sea off Mumbai coast at about 2219 UTC. The aircraft got destroyed after impact with sea and both occupants on board died in the accident. There was no evidence of fire.