Incident Overview
On 15 November 1993, Indian Airlines flight IC-440, an Airbus A300 aircraft registered VT-EDV, was operating a scheduled service from Madras (now Chennai) to Hyderabad. The aircraft carried 262 persons on board: 247 passengers, three additional passengers, and 12 crew members.
Sequence of Events
Upon arrival at Hyderabad, the flight crew encountered low visibility and could not land, executing a missed approach. Following the missed approach, the crew reported a "Flap Problem" and held overhead Hyderabad. During the hold, they inquired about visibility at nearby air force airfields, which was also low. The flight then diverted to Madras. Due to the flap problem, the crew had to maintain low speed and low altitude, resulting in increased fuel consumption. The aircraft experienced fuel shortage, and the crew sought permission from Madras control to land at Tirupati. However, the aircraft could not reach Tirupati airport and executed a forced landing in an open paddy field approximately 14 nautical miles from Tirupati. The aircraft dragged across the soft paddy field before coming to a final stop. There was no fire.
Evacuation and Injuries
Passenger evacuation was carried out using escape slides. All persons on board escaped unhurt except four individuals who sustained minor injuries.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the accident has been attributed to: - The ill-conceived decision of the aircraft's Commander to divert to Madras, without ensuring that adequate fuel was available for reaching there, when he was faced with a flap-jam and poor visibility at Hyderabad. - The failure of the aircraft's Commander and his Flight Crew to monitor fuel consumption correctly, and the failure of the Commander to revise his decision accordingly, until it became impossible to reach any airfield. - A forced landing due to the eventual shortage of fuel.