Accident Details
The approach to New Delhi-Palam Airport was conducted at night under marginal weather conditions, with limited visibility due to haze and fog. The copilot was the pilot-in-command. About 8 kilometers on final, the airplane was too high on the glide path with an approach speed exceeding 65 knots. The flaps were configured in a down position, and the airplane began to lose height and speed.
Sequence of Events
The captain failed to intervene and did not realize the airplane was too low. It struck approach lights and various equipment approximately 460 meters short of the runway threshold. The aircraft then went out of control, crashed on the ground, lost its four engines, and slid for several hundred meters before coming to rest in flames.
Evacuation and Response
Fire brigade and rescuers arrived at the scene 18 minutes after the crash. The aircraft was largely consumed by fire. All 109 occupants were evacuated, with 40 of them sustaining injuries.
Probable Cause
The official finding states that the accident was the consequence of several errors on part of the flying crew during a night approach. The following factors were reported: deviation from the approved published procedure caused the aircraft to be unstable; failure to exercise adequate monitoring of the flight; lack of supervision on part of the captain; poor flight control on part of the copilot who was the pilot-in-command; poor crew coordination; poor crew resource management; lack of adequate weather information; and lack of visibility due to haze/fog down to 200 feet above ground, which may cause an optical illusion to pilots.