What happened
On July 3, 1997, at approximately 03:46 IST, a Boeing 737 (registration VT-SSA) departed from runway 27 of Mumbai Airport. Shortly after the takeoff phase, the pilot notified the control tower of an intention to turn left to avoid inclement weather, noting an altitude of 1,200 feet. Following this communication, air traffic controllers instructed the aircraft to establish radial 146 and climb to flight level 170, requesting a report once passing flight level 080.
The crew acknowledged these instructions and confirmed they would follow the assigned radial and climb profile. However, no further radio contact was established after this transmission. At roughly 22:19 UTC, the aircraft impacted the surface of the Arabian Sea near the Mumbai coastline. The impact with the water resulted in the total destruction of the Boeing 737.
Findings
- The accident resulted in two fatalities.
- There were no survivors among the two people on board.
- No evidence of an onboard fire was observed following the crash.