New Delhi: A London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft plunged into the Meghani area of the city, triggering a massive blaze and black smoke.
Ahmedabad Air India crash sets grim milestone for Indian aviation
Today’s Air India crash marks the country’s first major commercial air crash in the 21st century, ending a 25-year stretch without a catastrophic air crash disaster.
India, with its rapidly expanding aviation sector, has faced its share of deadly civilian air disasters over the years. Crucial lessons from the casualties led to critical shifts in the country’s air safety rules. Here’s a look back at some of the most impactful crashes in recent times that changed the way India flies today.
January 1, 1978: Air India Flight 855, Arabian Sea
While not exactly recent, the 1978 New Year’s Day tragedy takes precedence in the list of the deadliest crashes in Indian civil aviation.
On January 1, 1978, a Boeing 747 bound for Dubai from Mumbai crashed into the Arabian Sea just minutes after takeoff. All 213 people on board were killed. The accident was traced to instrument failure and pilot disorientation. It led to tighter cockpit training and greater emphasis on system redundancy.
February 14, 1990: Indian Airlines Flight 605, Bangalore
An Airbus A320 that was flying in to land at Bangalore Airport fell short of the runway due to pilot miscalculation. The crash killed 92 out of 146 passengers. This prompted a closer examination of pilot training for handling modern aircraft and led to tighter rules for approach procedures.
November 12, 1996: Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision, Haryana
On Diwali day of 1996, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 cargo jet collided in the skies over Charkhi Dadri, Haryana. All 349 people on board both planes lost their lives, marking the deadliest mid-air collision in airline history. The disaster was traced back to poor situational awareness and miscommunication with air traffic control.
In its aftermath, India made the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) compulsory on all commercial aircraft, a step that significantly raised safety standards.
July 17, 2000: Alliance Air Flight 7412, Patna
A Boeing 737 operating a Calcutta–Delhi flight crashed during landing in Patna, killing 60 people, including five on the ground. The pilots, on a high approach, attempted a go-around instead of a stall recovery, causing the aircraft to nose-dive into a residential colony. This crash triggered a fresh look at how pilots are trained and how emergencies are handled in-flight and on the ground.
Runway overruns: Near-disasters with fatal consequences
While India hadn’t seen a major civilian air crash since 2000 until today, there were several deadly runway overrun incidents in the years that followed. Most of these occurred at high-risk airports built on tabletop runways, where even small misjudgements can have devastating outcomes.
May 22, 2010: Air India Express Flight 812, Mangalore
A Boeing 737 flying from Dubai overshot Mangalore’s runway and plunged into a valley, killing 158 of 166 people. The captain continued the landing despite warnings. The airport’s location atop a plateau added to the challenge. This led to better terrain awareness training and stricter approach rules.
August 7, 2020: Air India Express Flight 1344, Kozhikode
Another Dubai return flight skidded off the tabletop runway at Kozhikode during heavy rain. The aircraft broke into pieces, killing 21 people, including both pilots. The incident renewed focus on airport infrastructure, drainage, and weather-related landing protocols.
Aviation in India: Safer, but never risk-free
India’s civil aviation has made big strides in regulation, modern tech, and better crew training. But today’s crash in Ahmedabad is a harsh reminder that even in a highly controlled environment, with tight systems in place, the risks are real. Every crash, like the ones before it, leaves behind not just wreckage, carnage and debris, but also crucial lessons for aviation safety.
