Site Imphal, Manipur, India Crew 6 Aircraft type Boeing 737-2A8 Operator Indian Survivor 0 | Passengers 63 Survivors 0 Date 16 August 1991 Total fatalities 69 (all) Passenger count 63 | |
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Summary Controlled flight into terrain Similar Indian Airlines Flight 491, Bill Graham helicopter, Aeropostal Alas de Venezuel, Indian Airlines Flight 605, 1991 Indonesian Air Force | ||
Indian Airlines Flight 257 was a flight on 16 August 1991 that crashed on its descent into Imphal, India, killing all 69 occupants.
The flight, operating on the Calcutta-Imphal route, crashed into Thangjing hills, about 37 kilometres (23 mi) south-west of the Imphal airport. The aircraft had started the short flight from Calcutta around 12:00 pm and it began a descent into Imphal airport at around 12:41 pm. Visibility at that time was 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). Imphal airport lost contact with the aircraft just after 12:45, at 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) altitude on the Instrument Landing System. The search and rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather conditions and a hilly and slushy terrain.
The probable cause of the crash was attributed to an "error on the part of the Pilot-in-Command in not adhering to the operational flight plan and ILS let down chart and not realizing that his early descent to 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and turning right for outbound leg without reporting overhead VOR would result in loss of time reference and as such misplace him in the hilly terrain. The Pilot-in-Command's action may have been influenced by his extreme familiarity with the terrain".
Indian Airlines paid compensation to the families of the deceased at the rate of ₹500,000 Indian Rupees for each adult passenger and ₹250,000 for the one infant passenger.