What happened
On a scheduled flight route from Doha to Bahrain via Sharjah, a de Havilland DC-3 operated by Gulf Aviation departed Doha at 05:16 GMT following a brief stopover. During the flight, which was cleared for an altitude of FL70, the crew established contact with Bahrain ATC at 06:04, stating they were in communication with Sharjah and providing an estimated arrival time of 06:45. The final radio transmission occurred one minute later when the aircraft contacted Sharjah control.
Shortly thereafter, the pilot of a de Havilland Heron flying near Sharjah at FL50 reported hearing the DC-3 crew attempting to reach Sharjah controllers on three separate occasions; however, these transmissions were not received by the Sharjah ground station. The aircraft subsequently crashed into the sea off the coast of Sharjah under circumstances that remain undetermined. Search and rescue operations were launched but were terminated one week later after no wreckage or remains of the 20 fatalities were located.
Findings
Because the wreckage was never recovered, investigators could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding the accident. While some theories suggested a sudden disaster over the ocean due to the lack of distress signals, other evidence pointed toward a navigational error. A pilot in the vicinity reported a significant tailwind, which contradicted the aircraft's original arrival estimate and suggested the plane may have overflown Sharjah in poor visibility.
If the aircraft drifted east of its intended path, it could have struck high ground. Investigators also noted that while the Sharjah NDB was functional, the crew might have failed to realize they had passed the station due to a potential malfunction or improper use of the aircraft's ADF system. The lack of VHF reception by Sharjah control further supports the possibility that the aircraft was off-course.