213 fatalities

1978-01-01: Air India Flight 855 — India

India

On January 1, 1978, an Air India Flight 855 was involved in an aviation accident near India. 213 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Spatial disorientation of the captain and loss of control after failure of one of the flight instruments. This summary draws on records from Wikidata contributors; 7 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesWikidata contributorsPrimary reportUpdated 1780111919Data APIEditorial standards

On 1 January 1978, Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashed into the Arabian Sea near Bandra shortly after takeoff, killing all 213 aboard. The probable cause was the captain's spatial disorientation and loss of control after a flight instrument failure.

Accident

On 1 January 1978, Air India Flight 855, a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, crashed into the Arabian Sea approximately 3 kilometers off the coast of Bandra. The accident occurred less than two minutes after takeoff. All 213 passengers and crew on board perished.

Investigation

An investigation into the crash determined the most likely probable cause. According to the official report, the captain experienced spatial disorientation and lost control of the aircraft after one of the flight instruments failed.

Aftermath

This was Air India's deadliest air disaster until the bombing of Flight 182 in 1985. It also held the record as the deadliest airline accident in Indian history until the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996.

Investigation report by Wikidata contributors. Original record: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3098353. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the CC0 (Wikidata).