What happened
During a flight from Trivandrum to Madurai, an aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 5,200 feet amidst marginal weather conditions. While navigating the route, the plane impacted a mountain slope within the Megamalai Mountain Range, situated approximately 90 km southwest of Madurai Airport. The debris field was later located southeast of Cumbum.
The impact resulted in the deaths of all four crew members and 17 passengers. Additionally, 10 individuals sustained serious injuries during the accident. The aircraft was completely destroyed upon impact.
Findings
Investigations into the crash revealed that the aircraft had drifted significantly from its intended path, positioned roughly 46 km north of its planned course at the time of the collision. This deviation was attributed to a navigation error caused by the crew misinterpreting specific instrument settings.