Site New Delhi, India Crew 7 Survivors 17 Date 31 May 1973 Operator Indian Location New Delhi | Passengers 58 Fatalities 48 Aircraft type Boeing 737-2A8 Number of deaths 48 Survivor 17 | |
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Summary Controlled flight into terrain Similar EgyptAir Flight 741, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Fl, JAT Airways Flight 769, Aeroflot Flight 3932, Aeroflot Flight 141 | ||
Indian Airlines Flight 440 was a flight on 31 May 1973 that crashed while on approach to Palam Airport killing 48 of the 65 passengers and crew on board.
Contents
The crash
Flight 440 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu to New Delhi. A Boeing 737 named Saranga was used for the flight. As Flight 440 approached Palam International Airport in driving dust and a rainstorm, the aircraft struck high tension wires during a NDB approach with visibility below minimal. The aircraft crashed and caught fire. 48 of the 65 passengers and crew on board Flight 440 perished in the accident. Rescue officials said the survivors were in the front of the aircraft.
The survivors included three Americans and two Japanese. The dead included four Americans, three people from the United Kingdom, and one woman from Yemen. Among the dead was Indian Minister of Iron and Steel Mines, Mohan Kumaramangalam.
Cause
Investigators determined the cause of Indian Airlines Flight 440 crashing to be crew error in letting the aircraft descend below glidepath.