New Delhi: In recent times, we have seen some deadly aviation accidents which has left hundreds of people dead and many injured. For example, the crash of the Jeju Air passenger in South Korea led to the death of 179 people out of the 181 people who were on board. There was also the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight ‘s near Kazakhstan’s Aktau which killed 39 people and injured 29.
Every year on January 1, we welcome the new year and look forward to spending some happy time with family and friends, while some go outside for a trip or work. It is a day of joy and positivity, but on January 1, 1978, a tragedy took place which marred India’s happiness of welcoming a new year. On that day, the crash of Air India Flight 855 took place which killed all 213 passengers and crew on board. It remains one of the deadliest air accidents in the history of India.
Air India Flight 855 crash: A tragedy that shook India and the world
Air India Flight 855 was a Boeing 747-237B which was manufactured in 1971 and was named Emperor Ashoka. Notably, the aircraft was the first of its kind in the fleet of the Air India. The captain of the aircraft was Madan Lal Kukar who was then 51 years old and joined the Air India in 1956. Indu Virmani, who was then 43 years old, was the first officer of the flight.
How did the accident take place?
On January 1, 1978, Air India Flight 855 was scheduled to travel from Santa Cruz Airport (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) in Mumbai to Dubai International Airport. However, after the plane took off, it began to roll to the left and never regained level flight. Further, there was a misunderstanding between the Captain and the First Officer. As the plane was flying under a dark sky and over the Arabian Sea, the crew could not visually cross-check their AI instrument readings with the actual horizon outside the cockpit windows.
The captain was mistaken in his perception of the altitude of the aircraft and the Boeing 747 rolled further left, rapidly losing altitude. The plane, just 101 seconds after taking off, hit the Arabian Sea. The plane had 190 passengers and 23 crew members and all of them died.
Why did the crash take place?
The wreckage which was recovered had no evidence to point to an explosion, fire, or any mechanical or electrical failure and the theory of sabotage was thrown out of the window. An investigation was done which determined that the crash most probably took place due to the captain becoming spatially disoriented as he lost control of the aircraft after one of the flight instruments failed. In the history of India and Air India, it was the deadliest air accident until Flight 182 in 1985 and the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996.
The 1978 crash of Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, remains one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters. All 213 passengers and crew perished when the aircraft crashed into the Arabian Sea shortly after takeoff from Mumbai. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
