Maharashtra

A downdraught which forced down the fully loaded aircraft to the ground when it was flying under exceptionally severe weather conditions below 1,000 feet, and possibly at a few hundred feet above the terrain.

The aircraft crashed as a result of slipping into the ground in the course of a badly executed steep turn to port carried out at night at a low altitude. No importance need be attached to the fact that the captain took a turn to the left instead of to the right, as is generally done by most of the pilots when taking off for Delhi from Runway 27. We find from the record that it was not unusual for the pilot in question to take a turn to the left but the mistake lay in badly executing a turn. The reason for such a steep turn is not easy to ascertain. It is possible that the pilot may have done so in order to get on course quickly. It is also possible that he relied on visual reference instead of flying entirely on instruments as he should have done, thereby going into a turn steeper than intended, or it may be that he was misled by the instruments.

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.

Crew error.

Wrong approach configuration on part of the flying crew who decided to pass below the glide and continue the approach at an insufficient height. A wrong altimeter setting was considered as a contributory factor, the crew continued the approach in QNH mode instead of QFE.

The Board was of the opinion that two successive errors of judgment were committed by the pilot. These were as follows:
- He initiated a landing procedure at an aerodrome with which he was not acquainted, in weather conditions which were lower than the minimum prescribed for landings on that aerodrome,
- Upon arrival over the aerodrome, he flew at too low an altitude over a terrain which he must have known to include a hill which constituted a hazard for his aircraft, which hill he was not able to see, on account of the poor visibility and low cloud.
The Board further considered that the following factors contributed towards the accident to a considerable extent:
- Air Traffic Control did not advise the pilot to delay his landing until the weather conditions had improved, or otherwise to divert to another aerodrome,
- Air Traffic Control designated a runway for the landing which necessitated the aircraft venturing low over dangerous terrain as indicated above.

Unknown technical issue.

Engine failure.