No fatalities

Aircraft stall and crash following takeoff (VT-AXA)

Calcutta-Dum Dum, IndiaTakeoff (climb)

On August 26, 1961, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) (registration VT-AXA) operated by Indian Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Calcutta-Dum Dum, India during takeoff. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft stalled because the pilot completed the rotation prematurely while maintaining an inadequate airspeed. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards
Aircraft registered VT-AXA
Aircraft registered VT-AXA. Photo: Mark Ihde / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An aircraft stalled and caught fire shortly after departing, resulting in injuries to all crew members on board.

What happened

Shortly after the period of liftoff, the aircraft experienced an aerodynamic stall. This loss of lift caused the plane to descend rapidly and impact the ground, subsequently erupting into flames. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe.

There were three injuries reported among the crew members present during the flight. No fatalities were recorded in the accident.

Findings

Investigations into the incident indicated that the rotation process was finished before it should have been. Because the aircraft's airspeed remained insufficient during this phase, the plane entered a stall condition.

Probable cause

The aircraft stalled because the pilot completed the rotation prematurely while maintaining an inadequate airspeed.