Indian Airlines Flight 257

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Indian Airlines Flight 257
Indian Airlines Boeing 737-2A8; VT-EGE, December 1998 BUI (5404996252).jpg
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737-2A8 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident.
Accident
Date16 August 1991
SummaryControlled flight into terrain
SiteThangjing Hill, Manipur, India
24°29′54″N 93°40′20″E / 24.49833°N 93.67222°E / 24.49833; 93.67222Coordinates: 24°29′54″N 93°40′20″E / 24.49833°N 93.67222°E / 24.49833; 93.67222
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 737-2A8
OperatorIndian Airlines
RegistrationVT-EFL
Flight originCalcutta airport, Calcutta
1st stopoverImphal Municipal Airport,
Imphal, Manipur
DestinationDimapur Airport, Dimapur, Nagaland
Passengers63
Crew6
Fatalities69
Survivors0

Indian Airlines Flight 257 was an Indian Airlines flight operating on the Kolkata–Imphal–Dimapur route. On 16 August 1991 at 12:46 Indian Standard Time (UTC+7), the Boeing 737-2A8 registered VT-EFL crashed on its descent into Imphal, Manipur, India, killing all 63 passengers and 6 crew members on board.

Accident[]

The flight, operating on the Calcutta–Imphal–Dimapur route, crashed into Thangjing Hill, about 37 kilometres (23 mi; 20 nmi) 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; 3.8 nmi). 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.[1]

Passengers and crew[]

There were 69 people on board, of which 63 were revenue passengers (68 adults and 1 infant). Of the 63 passengers inclusive of one child on board, 31 passengers with the child were booked for Imphal, Manipur and 31 were booked for Dimapur, Nagaland.

There were 6 crew members. The flight was piloted by Captain Sekhar Flaldar and Co-pilot Roy Choudhury.

Investigation[]

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".[2][3]

Aftermath[]

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.[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Accident of Indian Air Lines Aircraft near Imphal". parliamentofindia.nic.in. 18 August 1991. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  2. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-2A8 Advanced VT-EFL Imphal Municipal Airport (IMF)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Accident to Indian Airlines Boeing 737 Aircraft VT-EFL on 16th August 1991 Near Itnphal, Manipur" (PDF). dgca.gov.in. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India). Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. ^ "CIVIL AVIATION AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR 1991" (PDF). dgca.gov.in. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India). Retrieved 30 June 2019.

External links[]

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