Andhra Pradesh | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

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 an Airbus A300B2-101 near Tirupati

Date & Time: Nov 15, 1993 at 0925 LT

Type of aircraft:

Airbus A300

Operator:

Registration:

VT-EDV

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Madras - Hyderabad

MSN:

034

YOM:

1976

Flight number:

IC440

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

250

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

17344

Circumstances:

Indian Airlines Airbus A-300 aircraft VT-EDV was operating scheduled flight IC-440 (Madras - Hyderabad sector) on 15.11.1993. There were a total of 262 persons were on board the aircraft including 247+3 passengers and 12 crew members. The aircraft could not land at Hyderabad due to low visibility and carried out a missed approach. After the missed approach, the aircraft reported "Flap Problem" and was holding overhead at Hyderabad during which the flight crew enquired visibility at nearby Air Force airfields which was also low. The aircraft then diverted to Madras. Due to flaps problem, the crew had to maintain low speed and low altitude as a result of which it experienced fuel shortage and sought permission from Madras control for landing at Tirupati. However, the aircraft could not reach even Tirupati airport and executed forced landing in an open paddy field about 14 nautical miles from Tirupati airport. The aircraft dragged on the soft paddy field before coming to final stop. There was no fire. Passenger evacuation was carried out by means of escape slides. All the persons on board escaped unhurt except four who received minor injuries.

Probable cause:

The probable cause of accident has been attributed to:
- The ill-conceived decision of the aircraft's Commander to divert to Madras, without ensuring that adequate fuel was available for reaching there, when he was faced with a flap-jam and poor
visibility at Hyderabad.
- The failure of the aircraft's Commander and his Flight Crew to monitor fuel consumption correctly, and the failure of the Commander to revise his decision accordingly, until it became impossible to reach any airfield.
- A forced landing due to the eventual shortage of fuel.

Final Report:

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

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

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

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 Vickers 768D Viscount in Vijayawada

Date & Time: Aug 28, 1980

Type of aircraft:

Vickers Viscount

Operator:

Registration:

VT-DJC

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Bombay - Vijayawada

MSN:

296

YOM:

1958

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The four engine airplane landed hard and bounced three times, before the nose gear collapsed. Out of control, the airplane veered off runway to the right and came to rest. All 29 occupants escaped without injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Edavlli: 10 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1977 at 0720 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

VT-EEL

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

13290

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged on an aerial survey sortie in the foothills East of Velikonda range in Andhra Pradesh, India. According to the eye-witnesses and the weather information, the prevailing weather conditions over the survey region during the period were 'Cloudy weather with cloud base varying from 600 m to 750 m'. It was quite probable that the cloud base was still lower over the particular area, covering the hill tops. The pilot who was flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet when he arrived at the survey area, most probably took a left-hand turn circumventing the highest peak in the area (Nisam Konda 2,181 feet high) and then started to descend with the aim to get below the cloud base for visual flight. During the process, the pilot did not see a jutting out rock face on the adjacent hill, Podille Konda, which probably was obscured by a patch of low cloud. The aircraft collided with the rock face and caught fire.

Probable cause:

The cause of the accident was attributed to collision of the aircraft with a jutting rock on the top of a hill which was not noticed by the pilot in time to take evasive action as it was probably obscured by a patch of low lying cloud.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth in Chowtapalem: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1935

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth

Operator:

Rajah IV Krishna Rao

Registration:

VT-ABU

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Madras – Hyderabad

MSN:

2124

YOM:

1930

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Madras to Hyderabad, the airplane suffered a wing failure. It entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a farmland located in Chowtapalem. All three occupants were killed.
Crew:
Ernest Norman Victor Everett, pilot.
Passengers:
Rajah IV Krishna Rao,
H. J. Carter.

Probable cause:

Wing failure in flight.

Crash of a Junkers F.13s off Visakhapatnam

Date & Time: Sep 24, 1931

Type of aircraft:

Junkers F.13

Operator:

Hans Bertram

Registration:

D-2151

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Colombo – Calcutta

MSN:

2042

YOM:

1930

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Colombo on a flight to Calcutta. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions with heavy monsoon rain falls. The crew decided to ditch the aircraft off Visakhapatnam. The aircraft sank and all three crew members were rescued by the crew of the British steamer 'Clan Macgillivary'.
Crew:
Hans Bertram, pilot,
Mr. Schonger,
Mr. Klausmann, mechanic.