Date & Time:
Jun 16, 1981 at 1627 LT
Type of aircraft:
Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DXI
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Madras – Tirupati – Hyderabad
MSN:
514
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
IC519
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
24
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
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.
