Air India Flight 182 Disappearance and Crash (VT-EFO)

Incident Overview and Timeline On the morning of 23 June 1985, Air India Flight 182, operated by a Boeing 747 aircraft with registration VT-EFO and named Kanishka, was on a scheduled passenger flight from Montreal. The aircraft was en route to London, with subsequent stops planned for Delhi and Bombay. At approximately 0714 GMT, while being monitored on the radar scope at Shannon, the aircraft suddenly disappeared. It had been flying at an altitude of approximately 31,000 feet before plunging into the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Ireland, at a position of latitude 51° 3.6' N and longitude 12° 49' W. ## Emergency Response and Search Operations The emergency was first identified by Shannon Upper Area Control (UAC) after the aircraft vanished from the radar scope. Control issued multiple calls to the aircraft, but no response was received. Subsequently, various messages were transmitted, informing the wider world of the accident. At 0730 hours, Shannon Control advised the Marine Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) about the situation. The MRCC then explained the situation to Valencia Coast Station and requested a Pan Broadcast. Following this, ships began converging on the scene of the accident and commenced search and rescue operations. ## Official Findings and Probable Cause The official investigation reported that the aircraft was subjected to a sudden event at an altitude of 31,000 feet, resulting in its crash into the sea and the death of all 307 passengers and 22 crew members on board. Findings indicated that the forward and aft cargo compartments ruptured before water impact, and the section aft of the wings separated from the forward portion before water impact. There was no evidence to indicate that structural failure of the aircraft was the lead event in this occurrence. Considerable circumstantial and other evidence indicated that the initial event was an explosion occurring in the forward cargo compartment. While this evidence was not conclusive, it did not support any other conclusion.