Accident Overview
On a flight from New Delhi to Kanpur, a twin-engine aircraft crashed near Mainpuri after experiencing an in-flight breakup. The accident resulted in the deaths of all eight occupants on board.
Sequence of Events
The crew reported their position over Aligarh during the en-route phase. Shortly before reaching the next reporting point Kadas, the aircraft was approximately 10 miles to the right of the cleared track. The pilot requested a direct routing to Kanpur. About ten minutes later, while cruising at an altitude of 14,000 feet in bad weather conditions, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent. It partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in an open field near Mainpuri.
Occupants
The crew consisted of pilot Vivek Kumar Gupta and co-pilot Ritu Malik. The passengers were Mr. Madhav Rao Scindia, Mr. Rupinder Singh, Mr. Ranjan Jha, Mr. Gopal Singh Bisht, Mrs. Anu Sharma, and Mr. Sanjiv Sinha.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, while at cruising altitude, the crew encountered severe updrafts while flying in thunderstorm activity. Following a possible abrupt and abnormal maneuver, the crew lost control of the airplane, which entered a spiral dive. This resulted in an in-flight breakup due to aerodynamic overload, leading to a total loss of control and a heavy impact with the ground.