What happened
On the morning of the accident, a scheduled cargo flight departed from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport at 05:46 IST, bound for Guwahati. The flight was operated by a crew of three members.
At 07:22, the aircraft established radio contact with Guwahati Air Traffic Control, reporting its position 25 miles from the airport while flying under visual flight rules (VFR) at 6,000 feet. Following instructions from the controller, the pilot received a new altimeter setting and clearance to descend. Shortly after, the crew requested a bearing on frequency 119.7, which was provided. By 07:25, the aircraft reported being 15 miles from the destination at an altitude of 3,000 feet.
The final communication with the aircraft occurred at 07:27, when the crew reported being 10 miles from the airport. After receiving landing instructions and a request to call back upon joining the circuit, all contact ceased. At approximately 07:29, tower personnel observed black smoke rising above a layer of fog south of the airfield. Simultaneously, witnesses in Tarapati village reported seeing the aircraft strike arecanut trees before crashing into a field and catching fire.
The accident resulted in 3 fatalities, as the captain and co-pilot perished instantly, while the radio officer died later while being transported to a medical facility. The aircraft was completely destroyed.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the crash occurred during a premature descent while the aircraft was on its final approach. The primary cause was the impact with arecanut trees that were hidden by fog.
Additional observations noted several operational deficiencies:
- The operator failed to maintain proper operational control or appoint a required representative for the flight.
- The pilot's meteorological briefing was insufficient, as they had not obtained the terminal weather forecast for the alternate aerodrome.
- The crew was utilizing incomplete or outdated flight manuals.