VT - India

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

VT-ATU

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

New Delhi - New Delhi

MSN:

20358

YOM:

1944

Location:

New Delhi-Safdarjung

National Capital Territory of Delhi

Country:

India

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a local test flight out from New Delhi-Safdarjung Airport, a mission that was part of the official investigations from the Indian Civil Aviation Authorities following the crash of a C-47 at Nagpur on 12 December 1953. On approach to Safdarjung Airport, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in the district of Jammu Bridge, near the airfield. While nobody on the ground was injured, all three crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-DK in Nagpur: 13 killed

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1953 at 0325 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-CHF

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth

Schedule:

Nagpur – Madras

MSN:

11810

YOM:

1943

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

The aircraft started its take-off run and became airborne in the normal manner somewhere near the intersection of runways 27 and 33. The captain of another aircraft who had moved to the beginning of runway 27 for his turn for take off, watched the take-off of the aircraft and noticed that it became airborne normally but swung to the left when at a height of about 10 or 15 feet. It then climbed steeply on a straight course until it had well passed the end of the runway, and reached a height of about 100 to 150 feet. Thereafter it turned sharply to the left, lost height and crashed in a field located 4,000 feet from the runway. All 10 passengers and three crew members were killed. The captain Desmond Arthur James Cartner was the only survivor.

Probable cause:

Loss of critical height during a steep left hand turn, with the undercarriage down, executed by the pilot at an unsafe altitude in an attempt to return to the aerodrome, after experiencing a temporary loss of power of the left engine soon after getting airborne. A false right engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at a forced landing. The following findings were reported by the Calcutta High Court:
- The port engine of the plane lost power after getting air-borne causing a swing and that it was due to defective supervision and check up,
- The swing corrected itself when the port engine revived again,
- In spite of failure of the port engine and/or correction thereof, the Captain and/or Pilots in charge did not follow the ordinary and usual procedure under such circumstances, namely, did not throttle back the engine and land straight ahead though there was sufficient length of runway available in front, to land and pull up even with the wheels down and certainly with the wheels up,
- Even though the engine revived, the fact that the gear was down was overlooked by both the pilots,
- A false starboard engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at forced landing obviously on account of defective supervision and check up,
- The lack of sufficient intensive checks for emergency procedures during the past twelve months preceding the accident which it is alleged, if carried out, might have given the pilot confidence, apart from practice enabling him to deal coolly with an emergency of this nature.

Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth near Forbesganj

Date & Time: Nov 27, 1953

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Nalanda Airways

Registration:

VT-CLU

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Patna – Forbesganj

MSN:

FM.51

YOM:

1948

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While descending to Forbesganj on a flight from Patna, the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing for unknown reason. All three occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in New Delhi: 18 killed

Date & Time: May 9, 1953 at 0128 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-AUD

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

National Capital Territory of Delhi

Schedule:

New Delhi – Ahmedabad – Bombay

MSN:

13716

YOM:

1944

Location:

New Delhi-Palam

Country:

India

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from runway 09 at New Delhi-Palam Airport, while climbing to a height of about 500 feet, the copilot made a steep turn to the right when the airplane stalled and crashed in a huge explosion in a wasteland located about 2 km southeast of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 18 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The probable cause was an error of judgment on the part of the supernumerary pilot, flying as first officer, who executed a steep starboard turn could not come out of the overbanked turn in time because of the low altitude. Inexperience of the pilot with the type of the aircraft he was flying is deemed to be an indirect cause of the accident.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Mumbai

Date & Time: May 9, 1953

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-AXD

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

13294

YOM:

1944

Location:

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Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Circumstances:

During the takeoff roll, the crew inadvertently raised the undercarriage before rotation. The aircraft sank on its belly and slid for dozen yards before coming to rest. There were no casualties.

Probable cause:

Crew error.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-70-DL near Mairang: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 14, 1953

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VT-AUJ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Guwahati – Calcutta

MSN:

19149

YOM:

1943

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

In cruising altitude, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed on the slope of a mountain located in the Khasi Mountain Range, near Mairang, about 60 km south of Guwahati. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

The port wing failed in the air due to an upload as a result of being subjected to loads greater than those for which it was designed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Agartala

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

VT-CLE

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

4653

YOM:

1942

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft bounced on landing. The pilot-in-command decided to go around and increased power when the left wing stalled and hit the ground. The aircraft went out of control and crashed, injuring all three crew members.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 in Dibrugarh: 7 killed

Date & Time: Oct 26, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Dibrugarh - Dibrugarh

Location:

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Circumstances:

Crashed near Dibrugarh-Mohanbari Airbase while performing a local training flight. All seven crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3 near Wadi Halfa: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

VT-CGB

Flight Phase: