What happened
During the takeoff roll at the Jaisalmer airfield, the pilot encountered an uncommanded and uncontrollable yaw to the left. In an attempt to prevent the aircraft from veering off the paved runway onto the adjacent kutcha surface, the commander executed a premature liftoff.
As the aircraft became airborne, it lacked sufficient airspeed to maintain stable flight. This led to a loss of control, causing the aircraft to impact the ground on the left side of the runway. The force of the impact and a subsequent post-impact fire resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft type.
During the emergency evacuation, a total of 23 people (comprising 19 passengers and 4 crew members) sustained injuries. All other occupants were evacuated from the wreckage.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the primary cause was the pilot's decision to attempt liftoff prematurely to avoid the uncorrected leftward yaw. A significant contributing factor noted was the deflection of the left wheel, which likely triggered the initial loss of directional control during the takeoff roll.