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National Capital Territory of Delhi

Crash of a Boeing 737-2A8 in New Delhi

Date & Time: Jun 19, 1988 at 1726 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VT-EAI
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Srinagar – Jammu – Chandigarh – New Delhi
MSN:
20482/272
YOM:
1970
Flight number:
IC422
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
128
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
9000
Circumstances:
Indian Airlines flight IC422 was a domestic service from Srinagar to Delhi via Jammu and Chandigarh, India. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-200, landed gear up on runway 10 at Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport. The left engine then caught fire due to a fuel leak from ruptured fuel lines and a broken fuel control unit. The fire was quickly put out by fire services. All 134 occupants evacuated safely.
Probable cause:
The accident occurred because of commander's negligent flying contrary to laid down procedures and failure to ensure that the landing gears were down and locked before landing. The co-pilot's failure to bring to the notice of the commander the deviations from the laid down procedures and to verify and cross-check that the gears were down, was a contributory factor to the accident.

Crash of a Boeing 707-330B in New Delhi

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1973 at 0103 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
D-ABOT
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bangkok - New Delhi - Frankfurt
MSN:
18463
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
LH645
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
98
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
10992
Captain / Total hours on type:
5503.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1303
Copilot / Total hours on type:
81
Aircraft flight hours:
41731
Circumstances:
The approach to New Delhi-Palam Airport was initiated by night and marginal weather conditions with a limited visibility due to haze/fog. The copilot was the pilot-in-command and about 8 km on final, the airplane was too high on the glide with an approach speed in excess of 65 knots. Flaps were configured in a down position and the airplane started to lose height and speed. The captain failed to intervene and to realize that the airplane was too low when it struck approach lights and various equipments about 460 meters short of runway threshold. Out of control, the airplane crashed on the ground, lost its four engines and slid for few hundred meters before coming to rest in flames. Fire brigade and rescuers arrived on the scene 18 minutes later and the aircraft was largely consumed by fire. All 109 occupants were evacuated, among them 40 were injured.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of several errors on part of the flying crew during a night approach. The following factors were reported:
- Deviation from the approved published procedure caused the aircraft to be unstable,
- Failure to exercise an adequate monitoring of the flight,
- Lack of supervision on part of the captain,
- Poor flight control on part of the copilot who was the pilot-in-command,
- Poor crew coordination,
- Poor crew resources management,
- Lack of adequate weather information,
- Lack of visibility due to haze/fog down to 200 feet above ground which may cause an optical illusion to pilots.

Crash of a Boeing 737-2A8 in New Delhi: 48 killed

Date & Time: May 31, 1973 at 2158 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VT-EAM
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Madras - New Delhi
MSN:
20486/279
YOM:
1971
Flight number:
IC440
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
58
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
48
Circumstances:
On final approach to New Delhi-Palam Airport by night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. In below-minimum visibility, despite he was unable to locate the runway, the captain decided to continue the approach and passed below the glide. With the flaps down to 40°, the airplane struck power cables and crashed in flames near the district of Vasant Vihar, about 3 km east of the airport. Five crew members and 43 passengers were killed while 17 other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration and poor flight planing on part of the flight crew.

Crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 100 in New Delhi: 18 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1972 at 2242 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DME
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Gwalior - New Delhi
MSN:
10175
YOM:
1961
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Aircraft flight hours:
24087
Aircraft flight cycles:
20130
Circumstances:
On a night approach to New Delhi-Palam Airport, the captain decided to abandon the landing procedure and initiated a go-around. Few minutes later, while on a second attempt to land, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed 1,600 meters short of runway threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 18 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
During the second approach, the crew decided to descend below the glide. The captain realize he was too low and initiated a go-around manoeuvre but failed to position the flaps in a correct angle, causing the aircraft to stall and to crash. The distance with ground was insufficient to expect a stall recovery. The lack of visibility caused by night remains a contributing factor.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-53 in New Delhi: 86 killed

Date & Time: Jun 14, 1972 at 2018 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
JA8012
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tokyo – Bangkok – New Delhi – Tehran – Cairo – Rome – Frankfurt – London
MSN:
45680/213
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
JL471
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
76
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
86
Circumstances:
During a night approach to runway 28 at New Delhi-Palam Airport, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck several houses and crashed in flames on the west shore of the Yamuna River, some 22 km east of the airport. Ten crew members and 72 passengers as well as four people on the ground were killed. Five other occupants were injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire. At the time of the accident, the copilot was the pilot-in-command.
Probable cause:
Japanese investigators claimed a false glide path signal to be responsible for the descent into terrain. Indian investigators say the accident was caused by a total disregard of laid down procedures by the crew and abandoning all instrument indications without properly ensuring sighting of the runway.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-1-DK in New Delhi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Dec 5, 1970 at 0643 LT
Operator:
Registration:
VT-CZC
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
New Delhi - Jaipur
MSN:
12103
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from New Delhi-Safdarjung Airport, while in initial climb, the right engine failed. The pilot declared an emergency, initiated a turn when the airplane went out of control, stalled and crashed. Three crew members and two passengers were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Failure of the right engine during initial climb due to fuel exhaustion. It was determined that the crew failed to follow the preflight checklist and due to poor flight preparation, the aircraft was not refueled prior to departure.

Crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 200 in New Delhi: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 25, 1970 at 1913 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9N-AAR
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kathmandu - New Delhi
MSN:
10290
YOM:
1965
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
18
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
7891
Aircraft flight cycles:
4581
Circumstances:
On approach to Palam Airport in New Delhi, the crew encountered very bad weather conditions with storm activity, turbulences, rain and windshear. On final, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that was caught by downdrafts and crashed 3 km short of runway 28. A passenger was killed while 22 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by downdrafts, turbulences and probable windshear on final approach.

Crash of a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-N in New Delhi: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1966
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DPP
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Calcutta – New Delhi
MSN:
130
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
74
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
18378
Captain / Total hours on type:
484.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
14887
Copilot / Total hours on type:
178
Aircraft flight hours:
5411
Circumstances:
Indian Airlines Corporation, Caravelle, VT-DPP, while on scheduled domestic passenger service from Calcutta Airport to Palam Airport on 15 February 1966, undershot the runway while attempting to land under conditions of poor visibility due to fog at Palam, with the result that it struck a cement pillar and subsequently several other obstructions until it came to rest on its belly near the threshold of the runway in use. Fortunately, all crew and passengers were able to get out before the aircraft was consumed by the fire which had broken out as a result of the earlier impact with obstructions. Some of the passengers received injuries and burns of varying degrees. Unfortunately, two passengers succumbed to their injuries subsequently. The aircraft was completely destroyed.
Probable cause:
The Government of India has accepted that the aircraft undershot and crashed as a result of the abandonment of the ILS approach at too early a stage during an attempt to land under conditions of poor visibility in fog.
Contributory causes were:
(i) Lack of information with the pilot regarding the true conditions of- surface visibility, which was in fact below thi minimum prescribed for a night landing by Caravelle aircraft on runway 28 at Palam.
(ii) Lack of proper monitoring and possibly incorrect setting of altimeter(s) during the approach to land.
(iii) The use of landing lights which resulted in glare during the final stages of the approach in foggy conditions.
Final Report:

Crash of an Antonov AN-12A in New Delhi: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 16, 1963
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BL734
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
2 4 013 06
YOM:
1962
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Crash landed at Palam Airport. At least two crew members were killed.

Crash of a Convair CV-240-7 in New Delhi: 23 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1958 at 2018 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
AP-AEH
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
New Delhi – Karachi
MSN:
52
YOM:
1949
Flight number:
PK205
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
23
Captain / Total flying hours:
4775
Captain / Total hours on type:
324.00
Aircraft flight hours:
12668
Circumstances:
The aircraft had landed at Palam at 1902 hours following an uneventful flight from Karachi. A thorough service check was carried out, and it was refuelled and loaded for the return flight to Karachi. The total take-off weight indicated on the load sheet was 41 589 lbs. The investigation revealed an error in the empty weight of the aircraft and the actual gross take-off weight was determined to be 41 319 lbs, which is 1 181 lbs less than the maximum permissible all-up weight. At 2018 hours the aircraft commenced its take-off run and was airborne at the latter half of the runway. Soon afterwards flames were observed at the western boundary of the airfield. The crash crew chief had watched the aircraft take-off. He saw the aircraft becoming airborne and then climbing to a height estimated by him to be 50 ft. He then noticed the landing lights pointing downwards and the aircraft losing height. He feared that a crash was imminent and immediately instructed the crew to proceed in that direction. At about this time the crash siren was sounded. The crash tender reached the site of the accident in about 7 to 8 minutes by which time the fire had reached large proportions. Fatal injuries were sustained by 4 members of the crew, 17 passengers and 2 others who were in the vicinity of the crash. Nine passengers and one other were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire.
Probable cause:
The captain did not properly observe and Interpret his flight instruments and thus inadvertently permitted the aircraft to descend to the ground immediately after a night take-off during which no visual reference was possible. A contributory factor may have been the slow reactions of the captain due to his state of health.
Final Report: