What happened
On the morning of November 3, 1950, Air India Flight 245 was en route from Bombay to London with intermediate stops in Cairo and Geneva. The aircraft, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation named Malabar Princess and registered as VT-CQP, was carrying 48 individuals, comprising 40 passengers and eight crew members.
While descending through the French Alps toward Geneva Airport under severe storm conditions, the flight deviated from its intended path. The aircraft struck the face of the Rocher de la Tournette on the French side of Mont Blanc at an altitude of 4,677 meters (15,344 feet). The final radio transmission received by controllers in Grenoble and Geneva at 10:43 a.m. indicated the plane was vertical with Voiron at that altitude.
The adverse weather conditions significantly delayed rescue operations. Debris from the crash site was first identified by a Swiss aircraft on November 5. Ground rescue teams were unable to reach the location until two days later. There were no survivors among the 48 people on board.
Investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances leading to the impact in the mountainous terrain. The stormy weather was identified as a critical factor that obscured visibility and likely contributed to spatial disorientation or navigational errors during the descent phase.
Findings
The crash resulted in the total loss of the aircraft and all lives aboard. The severity of the weather conditions at the time of the accident prevented immediate recovery efforts, leading to debris being scattered across the high-altitude terrain. Subsequent discoveries of wreckage, including an engine found in 2008 and personal effects like jewelry in 2013, confirmed the extent of the disaster. Notably, mail from the flight was recovered over several years, with some items arriving at their destinations years late due to the accident.