 A Beechcraft Super King Air similar to the crashed aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 22 December 2015 |
| Summary | Pilot error leading to spatial disorientation and loss of control |
| Site | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India |
| Total fatalities | 10 |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft Super King Air 200 |
| Operator | Border Security Force |
| Registration | VT-BSA |
| Flight origin | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India |
| Destination | Ranchi Airport , Ranchi, India |
| Occupants | 10 |
| Passengers | 8 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
On 22 December 2015, a light aircraft of the Indian Border Security Force crashed within the grounds of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India. Ten personnel of the Border Security Force, three officers and seven senior technicians, were killed.[1] The 22-year-old Beechcraft B200 King Air took off for Ranchi just before 9.30am, before crashing shortly afterwards.[2]
Accident
After the King Air's engines were started the crew reported that there was a problem (the nature of which has not been reported), but continued with the flight after advice from ground staff. The aircraft took off at 9:27am local time, with an expected arrival time at Ranchi of 12:00pm.[3]
Soon after taking off, the crew informed air traffic control that something was wrong and that they would return the aircraft to Delhi. The crew were then cleared to make an emergency landing on Delhi's Runway 28.[3] At 9:40am contact was lost with the aircraft. The King Air veered to the left, narrowly missing a village. It brushed a tree before hitting the perimeter wall of the airport, it then crashed into a sewage treatment plant within the airport complex. The aircraft then caught fire and was almost completely destroyed. All ten occupants were killed; one person on the ground was injured.[3]
Probable cause
The accident was caused due to engagement of the autopilot without selecting the heading mode by the flight crew just after takeoff, before attaining sufficient height in poor foggy conditions and not taking corrective action to control the progressive increase in left bank; thereby, allowing the aircraft to traverse 180° turn causing the aircraft to lose height in a steep left bank attitude followed by impact with the terrain.
References
- ↑ "India plane crash: Ten die in Delhi's Dwarka district". bbc.com. British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ↑ Biswas, Tanima (22 December 2015). "10 BSF Personnel Killed As Aircraft Crashes Near Delhi Airport". ndtv.com. New Delhi Television Limited. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 Dash, Nivedita (22 December 2015). "BSF aircraft crashes into Delhi airport wall, all 10 officers onboard killed". Indiatoday.in. Living Media India. Retrieved 22 May 2016.