Accident Sequence
The aircraft departed from Bhopal airport without incident. Approximately 20 nautical miles after takeoff, the crew detected abnormal noise, followed by low oil pressure and high oil temperature indications on the left-hand (LH) engine. The crew assessed the situation and decided to return to Bhopal. However, they reported to air traffic control (ATC) that they were returning due to wind and turbulence, not disclosing the engine problem.
During the return, the crew shut down the LH engine. Following the shutdown, the crew requested ATC permission to land on a disused taxiway, which ATC denied because no cross runway was available at Bhopal. The crew had not informed ATC of the emergency. After ATC declined the request, the crew stated they might have to perform a forced landing. ATC immediately instructed them to land on Runway 12, but the crew instead conducted a forced landing in an agricultural field approximately 3 nautical miles from the airport.
Injuries and Damage
During the forced landing, the pilot-in-command sustained serious injuries, while the copilot and passenger received minor injuries. The aircraft incurred substantial damage.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause was an oil leak from the LH engine during flight. This led to oil starvation and lack of lubrication, causing excessive heat generation among frictional components. The heat caused the bearing of the number 4 piston connecting rod to fail and break into pieces. The root cause of the oil leak could not be conclusively established. After the LH engine seizure, the crew did not follow emergency procedures for single-engine operation and decided to continue landing with only the right-hand (RH) engine. The crew further aggravated the emergency by not communicating the actual reason to ATC, displaying a gross lack of situational awareness. The crew estimated they could not reach the airport runway due to low altitude and force-landed short of the airport.