West Bengal

Operator:

Registration:

VT-AXA

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Western Hemisphere Import & Export Company

MSN:

19874

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Just after liftoff, the airplane stalled and crashed in flames. All three crew members were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It was reported the rotation was completed prematurely and the aircraft's speed was too low, causing it to stall.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando in Panagarh

Date & Time: Sep 20, 1957

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

PP-LEI

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Positioning

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

27080

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Panagarh, the airplane crashed in a field located 5 km short of runway. Both pilots were injured while the aircraft was written off.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Calcutta: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 1, 1957 at 0530 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-AUA

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes

Schedule:

Calcutta - Pasighat

MSN:

13245

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew received the permission to line up on runway 01L at Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport to perform a cargo flight to Pasighat. One minute later, the aircraft was struck by an Airwork Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes IV/A that was landing on the same runway. The C-47 was destroyed upon impact and all four crew members were killed. The Hermes stopped few dozen yards farther and was later considered as damaged beyond repair. At the time of the accident, the visibility was 2,000 yards by night.

Probable cause:

An error on the part of the Commander of the Hermes aircraft in turning down the R/T during the final stage of the radar assisted approach and in deciding to continue the approach under conditions which did not enable him to identify positively the correct runway.

Final Report:

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes IV/A in Calcutta

Date & Time: Sep 1, 1957 at 0530 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-AKFP

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Blackbushe – Karachi – New Delhi – Calcutta – Singapore

MSN:

81/1

YOM:

1948

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The Hermes aircraft was on a non-scheduled passenger flight from Blackbushe Airport, England to Singapore with stops at Karachi, Delhi and Calcutta. While making a radar assisted approach to run way 01R at Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta, it collided (at 0000 hour GMT) with a Dakota aircraft which was lined up on runway 01L. The Dakota was destroyed and four members of the crew, the only occupants on board, were fatally injured. The Hermes sustained substantial damage but was not repaired. Two passengers were injured.

Probable cause:

Final Report:

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

Date & Time: May 15, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

VT-DGO

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Calcutta – Saugaon

MSN:

16166/32914

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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:

Operator:

Darbhanga Aviation

Registration:

VT-DEM

Flight Phase:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

De Havilland DH.106 Comet

Schedule:

Calcutta – Bālurghāt

MSN:

13792/25237

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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 De Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 in Calcutta

Date & Time: Jul 25, 1953

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-ALYR

Flight Phase:

Taxiing

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

De Havilland DH.106 Comet

Schedule:

Calcutta – New Delhi

MSN:

6004

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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 De Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 near Calcutta: 43 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 1953 at 1635 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-ALYV

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Singapore – Calcutta – New Delhi – London

MSN:

6008

YOM:

1952

Flight number:

BA783

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

8710

Captain / Total hours on type:

589.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

4391

Copilot / Total hours on type:

261

Aircraft flight hours:

1649

Circumstances:

On its scheduled return flight from Singapore to London the aircraft took off from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport at 1629LT bound for New Delhi-Palam Airport. Six minutes later, while climbing, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with the presence of a thunder-squall. The airplane went out of control, nosed down and crashed near the village of Jagalgori, about 24 miles from Dum Dum Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 43 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was caused by structural failure of the airframe during flight through a thunder-squall. In the opinion of the Court the structural failure was due to overstressing which resulted either:
- severe gusts encountered in the thunder-squall, or
- overcontrolling or loss of control by the pilot when flying through the thunderstorm.
The following findings were pointed out:
- before departure the Captain was in possession of all the relevant meteorological and air traffic control information required for the flight. This included the warning of a thunder-squall,
- the aircraft encountered a norwester squall with thunderstorm shortly after take-off when climbing to its cruising altitude, and suffered structural failure in the air which caused fire,
- an examination of the wreckage on the site did not reveal any sign of sabotage, lightning damage, faulty workmanship, defective material or power plant failure.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47 in Barrackpore

Date & Time: Feb 27, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

HJ880

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors: