Introduction
On the night of the accident, an aircraft departed Pune at 1928 hrs. The flight was reported as uneventful until 1943 hrs.
Accident Sequence
Shortly after 1943 hrs, the aircraft began to lose height rapidly while its speed increased. The pilot attempted to recover from the dive, but the descent continued until the aircraft impacted the backwaters of the Ujjaini Dam near Indapur village. The location was 129 meters east-southeast of Pune. The aircraft disintegrated into multiple pieces upon impact, resulting in the deaths of all persons on board. The accident occurred during night conditions.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the probable cause was the aircraft entering severe turbulent conditions while passing through clouds, which led to a rapid loss of height due to inappropriate actions by the pilots. The aircraft entered a spiral dive. The pilots did not recognize this condition and initiated incorrect recovery action by pulling back on the control column instead of first leveling the wings. Additionally, the possibility of an elevator jam cannot be ruled out as a probable cause.
Contributory Factors
The investigation identified several contributory causes: pilot disorientation, unpreparedness, and failure to recognize a serious situation in a timely manner; long breaks in night flying for the captain; and a temporary malfunction or sluggishness of the Attitude Direction Indicator (ADI).