Flight Details
The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Paris to Chennai with intermediate stops in Karachi and Bangalore. On board were five crew members and a load of various goods, including three cars, 20 tons of cigarettes, chemicals, and clothing, with a total weight of 66 tons.
Approach and Landing
The flight was cleared for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 07. The initial approach was abandoned because indications suggested the undercarriage was not down and locked. The flight crew concluded that all landing gear were down and locked despite a red GEAR light on the forward instrument panel. They failed to recognize that the green GEAR DOWN light for the nose gear was not illuminated and assumed the red light was a false indication. The gear was recycled, but an alternate extension was not attempted. The pilot positioned the airplane for another approach. The aircraft touched down with the nose gear retracted, causing the nose to strike the runway. The plane skidded and came to rest approximately 7,000 feet down the runway, which is 13,050 feet long.
Evacuation and Fire
After the pilot informed air traffic control of the mishap, smoke was noticed in the cockpit. While the smoke was being extinguished, flames erupted in the front portion of the aircraft. One crew member descended from the cockpit using a rope ladder, while the other four were evacuated from the rear of the aircraft using fire engine step ladders. Fire services were unable to extinguish the fire, and the plane burned out completely.