Aircraft Crash After Takeoff: 13 Killed, One Survived (VT-CHF)

Accident Sequence and Casualties The aircraft began its takeoff run and became airborne normally near the intersection of runways 27 and 33. A captain from another aircraft, positioned at the start of runway 27, observed the takeoff. He reported that the aircraft swung left at a height of about 10 to 15 feet, then climbed steeply on a straight course until it had well passed the end of the runway and reached a height of about 100 to 150 feet. It then turned sharply left, lost height, and crashed in a field located 4,000 feet from the runway. All 10 passengers and three crew members were killed. Captain Desmond Arthur James Cartner was the only survivor. ## Official Probable Cause The official findings attributed the accident to loss of critical height during a steep left-hand turn, with the undercarriage down, executed by the pilot at an unsafe altitude in an attempt to return to the aerodrome. This followed a temporary loss of power of the left engine soon after getting airborne. A false right engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at a forced landing. ## Calcutta High Court Findings The Calcutta High Court reported that the port engine lost power after the aircraft became airborne, causing a swing, which it attributed to defective supervision and check up. The swing corrected itself when the port engine revived. The court found that, despite the port engine failure and/or its correction, the captain and/or pilots in charge did not follow the ordinary and usual procedure, namely, to throttle back the engine and land straight ahead, even though sufficient runway length was available in front to land and pull up with the wheels down and certainly with the wheels up. The court also noted that, even though the engine revived, the fact that the gear was down was overlooked by both pilots. A false starboard engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at forced landing, obviously on account of defective supervision and check up. The court further reported a lack of sufficient intensive checks for emergency procedures during the past twelve months preceding the accident, which it was alleged, if carried out, might have given the pilot confidence, apart from practice enabling him to deal coolly with an emergency of this nature.