What happened
On its scheduled leg from Singapore to London, an aircraft departed from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport at 16:29 local time, destined for New Delhi-Palam Airport. Approximately six minutes after takeoff, during the initial climb, the flight encountered severe weather characterized by a thunder-squall.
During this period of turbulence, the aircraft became uncontrollable and entered a nosedown attitude. The plane crashed near the village of Jagalgori, situated roughly 24 miles from Dum Dum Airport. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate, resulting in 43 fatalities among all occupants.
Findings
Investigations determined that the primary cause of the accident was a structural failure of the airframe while flying through a thunderstorm. This failure led to an in-flight breakup and subsequent fire. The court concluded that the airframe was overstressed, likely due to either intense gusts within the norwester squall or pilot-induced overcontrolling during the weather encounter.
Key details from the investigation include:
- The captain had been provided with all necessary meteorological and air traffic control updates prior to departure, including warnings regarding the thunderstorm.
- No evidence of sabotage, lightning strikes, or mechanical engine failure was found at the wreckage site.
- There were no indications of faulty materials or manufacturing defects present in the aircraft components.