View source for 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision

{{Short description|1996 mid-air collision over India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| occurrence_type = Accident
| name            = 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision<br />{{nobold|{{small|Saudia Flight 763{{·}}Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907}}}}
| image           = Firefighters at the wreckage site of Flight 763.jpg
| caption         = Firefighters at the crash site of Flight 763
| date            = {{start date|1996|11|12|df=yes}}
| summary         = [[Mid-air collision]] due to [[pilot error]]
| site            = [[Charkhi Dadri]], [[Haryana]], India
| coordinates     = {{coord|28|33|38|N|76|18|15|E|display=inline,title}}
| total_fatalities = 349
| total_survivors = 0
| plane1_image    = HZ-AIH Heathrow 8-3-1986.jpg
| plane1_caption  = HZ-AIH, the [[Boeing 747-168B]] involved in the collision, seen in 1986
| plane1_type     = [[Boeing 747-168B]]
| plane1_operator = [[Saudia]]
| plane1_IATA     = SV763
| ICAO            = SVA763
| plane1_callsign = SAUDIA 763
| plane1_tailnum  = HZ-AIH
| plane1_origin   = [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]], [[Delhi]], India
| plane1_stopover = [[Dhahran International Airport]], [[Dhahran]], Saudi Arabia
| plane1_destination = [[King Abdulaziz International Airport]], [[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia
| plane1_occupants = 312
| plane1_passengers = 289
| plane1_crew     = 23
| plane1_fatalities = 312
| plane1_survivors = 0
| plane2_image    = Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD Goetting-1.jpg
| plane2_caption  = UN-76435, the [[Ilyushin Il-76TD]] involved in the collision, seen in 1994 
| plane2_type     = [[Ilyushin Il-76TD]]
| plane2_operator = [[Kazakhstan Airlines]]
| plane2_IATA     = KZ1907
| plane2_ICAO     = KZA1907
| plane2_callsign = KAZAKH 1907
| plane2_tailnum  = UN-76435
| plane2_origin   = [[Shymkent International Airport|Chimkent Airport]], Kazakhstan
| plane2_destination = [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]], [[Delhi]], India
| plane2_occupants = 37
| plane2_passengers = 27
| plane2_crew     = 10
| plane2_fatalities = 37
| plane2_survivors = 0
}}
On 12 November 1996, '''Saudia Flight 763''', a [[Boeing 747]] en route from [[Delhi]], India, to [[Jeddah]], with a stopover in [[Dhahran]], Saudi Arabia, and '''Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907''', an [[Ilyushin Il-76]] en route from [[Shymkent|Chimkent]], Kazakhstan, to Delhi, collided over the city of [[Charkhi Dadri]], around {{cvt|100|km|mi nmi|abbr=}} west of Delhi. The crash killed all 349 people on board both planes, making it the [[Mid-air collision#List of notable civilian and military–civilian mid-air collisions|world's deadliest mid-air collision]],<ref name=WPost349Killed /><ref name=RptExpected /> the deadliest aviation accident without survivors, and the deadliest aviation accident ever in India.<ref name=ASNProfile/><ref name="Two Airliners Collide in Midair, Killing All 351 Aboard in India" /> The final report from the investigation revealed that the Kazakh crew's failure to maintain the correct altitude led to the collision.<ref>{{harvnb|Lahoti|1997|p=VII}}</ref> Contributing factors included the poor English language skills in the Kazakh cockpit, resulting in inadequate interpretation of directions provided by [[air traffic control]], and three specific incidents of failures in [[crew resource management]] (CRM) by the Kazakh crew.<ref>{{harvnb|Lahoti|1997|p=VII}}</ref> The investigators noted the Indian airport lacked a [[secondary surveillance radar]]; the airport only had a [[primary radar]], which produced readings of distance and bearing, but not altitude.<ref name="Head On" /> The report also suggested technical enhancements (including [[Airborne collision avoidance system|ACAS]] and [[Secondary surveillance radar|SSR]]) that would provide assistance in preventing a future crew's mistakes from being allowed to go unchecked in real time.<ref>{{harvnb|Lahoti|1997|pp=VIII, XIII}}</ref>

==Aircraft involved==

===Saudia Flight 763===

[[Saudia]] Flight 763 was a [[Boeing 747-100#747-100|Boeing 747-168B]], [[Aircraft registration|registration]] HZ-AIH, departing from Delhi as part of a scheduled international [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]]–[[King Abdulaziz Air Base|Dhahran]]–[[King Abdulaziz International Airport|Jeddah]] passenger service with 312 people on board.<ref name=FGlobalATC /> The crew on this flight consisted of Captain Khalid al-Shubaily (aged 45), First Officer Nazir Khan (aged 37), and Flight Engineer Ahmed Edrees (aged 33). Al-Shubaily was a veteran pilot with 9,837 flying hours.<ref name="collision report" />

There is some dispute as to the nationalities of the passengers of Flight 763. According to an article published on 14 November 1996, 215 Indians, many of whom worked in Saudi Arabia as [[blue-collar]] workers, boarded the flight, along with 40 Nepalis and three Americans.<ref name="Indian Officials Gather Evidence on Midair Collision"/> However, according to a different article, the passenger manifest included 17 people of other nationalities, including nine Nepalis, three Pakistanis, two Americans, one Bangladeshi, one British, and one Saudi.<ref name="Two Airliners Collide in Midair, Killing All 351 Aboard in India" /> Twelve of the crew members, including five anti-terrorism officials, were Saudi Arabian citizens.<ref name="Pilot error focus of India collision investigation" />

===Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907===

[[Kazakhstan Airlines]] Flight 1907, an [[Ilyushin Il-76TD]] with registration UN-76435, was on a charter service from [[Shymkent International Airport|Chimkent Airport]] to Delhi. The crew consisted of Captain Alexander Robertovich Cherepanov (aged 44), First Officer Ermek Kozhahmetovich Dzhangirov (aged 37), Flight Engineer Alexander Alexanderovich Chuprov (aged 50), Navigator Zhahanbek Duisenovich Aripbaev (aged 51), and Radio Operator Egor Alekseevich Repp (aged 41).<ref name="One Jet in Crash Over India Ruled Off Course" /><ref name="collision report"/> Cherepanov was highly experienced, with 9,229 flight hours.<ref name=Y1996Summary />

A company from [[Kyrgyzstan]]<!--not an error; Kyrgyz company but Kazakh flight--> chartered the flight, and the passenger manifest mostly included [[Russians in Kyrgyzstan|ethnic Russian]] Kyrgyz citizens planning to go shopping in India.<ref name="Two Airliners Collide in Midair, Killing All 351 Aboard in India"/><ref name="One Jet in Crash Over India Ruled Off Course"/><ref name="Indian Officials Gather Evidence on Midair Collision"/> Thirteen Kyrgyz traders boarded the flight.<ref name="Pilot error focus of India collision investigation"/>

==Accident==
Saudia Flight 763 departed Delhi at 18:32 [[Time in India|local time]] (13:02 UTC). Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 was descending simultaneously to land at Delhi.<ref name=FGlobalATC /> Both flights were controlled by [[air traffic controller|approach controller]] V.K. Dutta.<ref name="collision report"/> Immediately after take-off, the Saudia flight was cleared to an initial altitude of {{convert|10000|ft|m|round=50}}. At 18:34, Dutta cleared the Kazakh plane to descend to {{convert|15000|ft|m|round=50}} when it was {{convert|74|nmi|km}} from the beacon of the destination airport. Two minutes later, at 18:36, Dutta cleared the Saudia plane, travelling on the same [[Airway (aviation)|airway]] but in the opposite direction, to climb to {{convert|14000|ft|m|round=50}}. At 18:38, the Saudia crew reported reaching 14,000 feet and requested a higher level. Dutta told them to hold their altitude and standby, to which First Officer Khan replied, "Saudi 763 will maintain one four zero."<ref name="collision report"/>

At 18:39, the Kazakh flight reported having reached its assigned altitude of 15,000 feet, but it was actually higher, at {{convert|16348|ft|m|round=50}}, and still descending.<ref name="ASN-KZK"/><ref name="collision report"/> At this time, Dutta advised the flight, "Identified traffic 12 O'Clock, reciprocal, Saudia Boeing 747 at ten miles, likely to cross in another five miles. Report, if in sight."<ref name="collision report"/> Radio Operator Repp requested clarification, to which Dutta replied, "Traffic{{nbsp}}... is at eight miles, level 140."<ref name="collision report"/> Repp acknowledged the update, and signed off with, "Now looking 1907."<ref name="collision report"/>

Less than a minute later, at 18:40, the crew of a [[United States Air Force]] cargo flight made a radio call saying they had seen "a big explosion" at their two o'clock position.<ref name="collision report"/> Dutta attempted to contact the Saudia and Kazakh flights but received no response. The two aircraft had collided, with the left wing of the Kazakh flight slicing through the left wing of the Saudia 747 while the left [[horizontal stabilizer]] of the 747 sliced off the [[vertical stabilizer]] (including the horizontal stabilizer) of the Kazakh flight.{{Cn|date=May 2024}} The crippled Saudi Boeing immediately lost control and went into a rapidly descending spiral with fire trailing from the wing and broke up mid-air before crashing to the ground at a nearly supersonic speed of {{convert|1135|km/h|kn mph|abbr=on}}. With most of its left wing and vertical stabilizer gone, the Ilyushin went into a [[Spin (aerodynamics)#Phases|flat spin]] and crashed into a field at a flat attitude near the wreckage of the Saudia plane. All 312 people on board Saudia Flight 763 and all 37 people on Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 were killed.<ref name="4survivors" />

The recorder of the Saudi Arabian plane revealed the pilots said the [[Islamic]] [[Istighfar]] (forgiveness prayer) and recited the [[Shahada]] before impact with the ground.<ref name="collision report"/>

The collision took place about {{convert|60|mi|-1|order=flip}} west of Delhi.<ref name=HumanErr /> The wreckage of the Saudi Arabian aircraft landed near Dhani village, [[Bhiwani District]], Haryana. The wreckage of the Kazakh aircraft hit the ground near [[Birohar]] village, [[Rohtak District]], Haryana.<ref name=Y1996Summary />

==Investigation and final report==
The crash was investigated by the Lahoti Commission, headed by then-Delhi High Court judge [[Ramesh Chandra Lahoti]]. Depositions were taken from the Air Traffic Controllers Guild and the two airlines. The [[flight data recorder]]s (FDR) were decoded by Kazakhstan Airlines and Saudia under the supervision of air crash investigators in Moscow and [[Air Accidents Investigation Branch|Farnborough]], England, respectively.<ref name="Head On" /> The ultimate cause was held to be the failure of [[Kazakhstan Airlines]] Flight 1907's pilot to follow ATC instructions, whether due to cloud turbulence or due to communication problems.<ref name="collision report" /><ref name=KazakhFault /><ref name=Deadliest />

The commission determined that the accident had been the fault of the Kazakhstani Il-76 crew, who (according to FDR evidence) had descended from the assigned altitude of {{convert|15000|to|14500|ft|m|round=50}} and subsequently {{convert|14000|ft|m|round=50}} and even lower. The report ascribed the cause of this serious breach in operating procedure to the lack of English language skills on the part of the Kazakhstan aircraft pilots; they were relying entirely on Radio Operator Repp for communications with the ATC. As part of this, the report suggested that First Officer Dzhangirov (and possibly Captain Cherepanov) might have misunderstood Dutta's final radio call, and assumed that the Saudi 747's altitude (14,000 feet) was their own assigned altitude.<ref name="collision report"/> Indian air controllers also complained that the Kazakhstani pilots sometimes confused their calculations because they are accustomed to using metre altitudes and kilometre distances, while most other countries use feet and nautical miles, respectively, for aerial navigation.<ref name=Independent1996 />  Although the crew in this particular collision did not appear to have made a computational error, Kazakhstan Airlines did not have enough foot-marked altimeters for all crewmembers. Repp did not have his own flight instrumentation and had to look over the pilots' shoulders for a reading, which likely limited his own situational awareness.<ref name=red1/> 

Kazakh officials claimed such a misunderstanding was implausible because they claimed that their records showed Dzhangirov sufficiently fluent to teach English to other Kazakh pilots at the time. Instead, they concluded{{snd}}from the Kazakhstani plane's misleading flight data records{{snd}}that the aircraft had descended while their pilots were battling [[turbulence]] inside a bank of [[cumulus cloud]]s.<ref name="collision report" /><ref name=KazakhFault/> Meteorological reports,<ref name=red1/> the affidavits of a [[Lockheed C-141B Starlifter]] crew that observed the crash,<ref name=Clouds/> and conclusive analysis by the investigators{{snd}}showing that the specific flight data record the Kazakh officials focused on proved only that the record was based on faulty recording equipment on the plane<ref name=Mayday/>{{snd}}disproved the Kazakh theory that turbulence was to blame.<ref name="Head On" />

However, whether or not particular crewmembers fully understood the radio transmissions or were distracted by atmospheric conditions, the five-person crew was sufficiently large that it likely struggled to maintain common [[situational awareness]] and coordinate crew actions.{{clarify|date=June 2025|reason=five-person crew is a normal size, not by itself a reason to struggle}}

Just a few seconds before impact, Repp had realised that the pilots were flying below the required {{convert|15,000|ft|m}} and brought it to their attention. Cherepanov gave orders for full throttle, and the plane climbed, only to hit the oncoming Saudi Arabian plane. The tail of the Kazakhstani plane clipped the left wing of the Saudi Arabian jet, severing both parts from their respective planes.

Furthermore, the investigation team noted that the [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] did not have [[secondary surveillance radar]], which provides extra information, such as the aircraft's identity and altitude, by reading [[Transponder (aviation)|transponder]] signals; instead, the airport had a [[primary radar]], which produces readings of distance and bearing, but not altitude. In addition, departures and arrivals both shared a single corridor within the civilian airspace around New Delhi. While most areas have separate corridors{{snd}}one for departures and another one for arrivals{{snd}}the airspace of Delhi in 1996 had only one civilian corridor for both departures and arrivals because much of the airspace was taken by the [[Indian Air Force]]. Moreover, neither plane was equipped with a [[traffic collision avoidance system]], which would have alerted crew on both flights.<ref name="Head On" /> 

Due to the crash, the air crash investigation report recommended changes to air traffic procedures and infrastructure in New Delhi's airspace:<ref name="collision report" />

* Separation of inbound and outbound aircraft through the creation of 'air corridors'
* Installation of a secondary air-traffic control radar for aircraft altitude data
* Mandatory collision avoidance equipment on commercial aircraft operating in Indian airspace
* Reduction of the airspace over New Delhi that was formerly under exclusive control of the Indian Air Force

==Aftermath==
The [[Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)|Directorate General of Civil Aviation]] subsequently made it mandatory for all aircraft flying in and out of India to be equipped with an [[airborne collision avoidance system]]. This set a worldwide precedent for mandatory use of [[traffic collision avoidance system]]s.<ref name=TCAS/>

{{As of|2021}}, there is an ongoing effort by the Charkhi Dadri district administration to develop{{Update inline|date=September 2025}} a memorial honoring the victims of the mid-air collision. The proposed memorial, which would consist of names and other information of the victims, would be located at a to-be-built memorial park in the district. However, the district administration is waiting to get an approval for the project from the [[Haryana government]], and plans to include the participation of the [[Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)|Ministry of Civil Aviation of India]], [[Airport Authority of India]], and the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan in the development of the memorial.<ref name=Memorial/>

==Documentaries==
[[Miditech]], a company based in [[Gurgaon|Gurugram]], Haryana, produced a documentary about the disaster called ''Head On!'', which aired on the [[National Geographic Channel]].<ref name="Head On" />

The collision was also the subject of the 2009 episode "[[List of Mayday episodes#ep52|Sight Unseen]]", of the Canadian-made, internationally distributed documentary series ''[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]''.<ref name=Mayday>{{Cite episode |title=Sight Unseen |episode-link=List of Mayday episodes#ep52 |series=[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]] |publisher=[[Cineflix]] |publication-place=Montreal |network=[[USA Network (Canadian TV channel)|Discovery Channel Canada]] et al<!--- country of origin, article is about the airplane incident - not an exposé of all the permutations and combinations of the Cineflex production: other channels, in other countries, using other series names/episode titles, are found at the linked articles ---> |season=7 |number=4 |date=2009-11-11}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{reflist|refs=<!--Sorted alphabetically by title-->
<ref name="ASN-KZK">{{ASN accident|id=19961112-1|title= Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907}}</ref>
<ref name=Y1996Summary>{{cite report |title=Civil aviation aircraft accident summary for the year 1996 |publisher=[[Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)|Directorate General of Civil Aviation]] |url=http://dgca.nic.in/accident/acc96.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103164042/http://dgca.nic.in/accident/acc96.pdf |archive-date=3 January 2015|page=8/18}}</ref>
<ref name=WPost349Killed>{{cite news |title=At Least 349 Are Killed in Collision 
 |first=Kenneth J. |last=Cooper |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] 
 |date=13 November 1996 
 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/flight801/stories/1996crash.htm 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626103717/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/flight801/stories/1996crash.htm
 |archive-date=26 June 2013
 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name=Clouds>{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/may/26air.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991011103254/http://www.rediff.com/news/may/26air.htm |archive-date=11 October 1999 |title=Charkhi Dadri collision occurred in "heavy clouds": US pilot |publisher=[[Rediff]] |access-date=4 July 2006 }}</ref>
<ref name=RptExpected>{{cite news |title=Charkhi Dadri collision report expected this weekend |first=Syed Firdaus |last=Ashraf |location=New Delhi |work=[[Rediff]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/mar/11air.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410180434/http://www.rediff.com/news/mar/11air.htm |archive-date=10 April 2014}}</ref>
<ref name=FGlobalATC>{{cite news |title=Collision raises doubts on ATC routeings |first1=Max |last1=Kingsley-Jones |first2=David |last2=Learmount |publisher=[[Flightglobal]] |agency=[[Flight International]] |date=20 September 1996 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/collision-raises-doubts-on-atc-routeings-10013/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101143223/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/collision-raises-doubts-on-atc-routeings-10013/ |archive-date=1 January 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=red1>{{cite news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/may/15aai.htm |date=26 May 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991007030506/http://www.rediff.com/news/may/15aai.htm |archive-date=7 October 1999 |title=Communication gap caused Charkhi Dadri mishap |publisher=[[Rediff]] |access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref>
<ref name=Memorial>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/haryanas-charkhi-dadri-plans-a-memorial-for-1996-mid-air-collision-victims/articleshow/81319907.cms|title=Haryana's Charkhi Dadri plans a memorial for 1996 mid-air collision victims|date= 4 March 2021|newspaper=The Times of India|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240218124821/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/haryanas-charkhi-dadri-plans-a-memorial-for-1996-mid-air-collision-victims/articleshow/81319907.cms|archive-date= 18 February 2024}}</ref>
<ref name="Head On">{{cite AV media |url=http://www.miditech.tv/content.aspx?page=HeadOn |title=Head On – AirCrash |type=TV documentary |publisher=[[Miditech]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323002305/http://www.miditech.tv/content.aspx?page=HeadOn |archive-date=23 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name=TCAS>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurocontrol.int/articles/history-future-airborne-collision-avoidance|title=History & future of airborne collision avoidance|date=9 March 2012|website=Eurocontrol|language=en|access-date=6 May 2019|archive-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204153356/https://www.eurocontrol.int/articles/history-future-airborne-collision-avoidance|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name=HumanErr>{{cite news|title=Human error is blamed for crash |last=Bellamy |first=Christopher |work=[[The Independent]] |date=13 November 1996 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/human-error-is-blamed-for-crash-1352080.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226013332/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/human-error-is-blamed-for-crash-1352080.html |archive-date=26 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name=ASNProfile>{{cite web|title= India air safety profile|work= Aviation Safety Network|url= http://aviation-safety.net/database/country/country.php?id=VT|access-date= 10 April 2014 }}</ref>
<ref name=Independent1996>{{cite news|title=THE INDIAN AIR CRASH: Tapes point blame at Kazakh pilot|first= Tim|last= McGirk|newspaper= The Independent|date= 14 November 1996|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/the-indian-air-crash-tapes-point-blame-at-kazakh-pilot-1352266.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190501173653/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/the-indian-air-crash-tapes-point-blame-at-kazakh-pilot-1352266.html|archive-date= 1 May 2019|url-status= live}}</ref>
<ref name="Indian Officials Gather Evidence on Midair Collision">{{cite news|title= Indian Officials Gather Evidence on Midair Collision|first= John F.|last= Burns|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date= 14 November 1996|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/14/world/indian-officials-gather-evidence-on-midair-collision.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150103165051/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/14/world/indian-officials-gather-evidence-on-midair-collision.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm|archive-date= 3 January 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=KazakhFault>{{cite web|title= Kazakh aircraft held responsible for Charkhi Dadri mishap|website=[[rediff.com]]|date= 1997|url= https://www.rediff.com/news/jul/17aai.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200523162558/https://www.rediff.com/news/jul/17aai.htm|archive-date= 23 May 2020|url-status= live}}</ref>
<ref name="4survivors">{{citation |url=http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2006/dec/42-44.pdf |title=Mid-Air Disasters |work=Flight Safety Australia |date=November–December 2006 |access-date=10 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030114427/http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2006/dec/42-44.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008 |page=42 |last=Job |first=Macarthur |url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="One Jet in Crash Over India Ruled Off Course">{{cite news|title= One Jet in Crash Over India Ruled Off Course|first= John F.|last= Burns|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date= 5 May 1997|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/05/world/one-jet-in-crash-over-india-ruled-off-course.html|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180303160858/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/05/world/one-jet-in-crash-over-india-ruled-off-course.html|archive-date= 3 March 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="Pilot error focus of India collision investigation">{{cite news |title=Pilot error focus of India collision investigation |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=14 November 1996 |location=New Delhi |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9611/14/india/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000128142927/http://cnn.com/WORLD/9611/14/india/index.html |archive-date=28 January 2000}}</ref>
<ref name="collision report">{{harvnb|Lahoti|1997}}</ref>
<ref name=Deadliest>{{cite news |title=The truth behind the 10 deadliest plane crashes of all time |first=Hugh |last=Morris |date=12 July 2017 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/the-deadliest-aviation-plane-crashes-disasters-in-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523163241/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/the-deadliest-aviation-plane-crashes-disasters-in-history/ |archive-date=23 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Two Airliners Collide in Midair, Killing All 351 Aboard in India">{{cite news |title=Two Airliners Collide in Midair, Killing All 351 Aboard in India |last=Burns |first=John F. |work=The New York Times |date=13 November 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/13/world/two-airliners-collide-in-midair-killing-all-351-aboard-in-india.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306143403/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/13/world/two-airliners-collide-in-midair-killing-all-351-aboard-in-india.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm |archive-date=6 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|30em}}

=== Further reading ===
* {{cite report|last=Lahoti|first=Ramesh&nbsp;Chandra|author-link=Ramesh Chandra Lahoti|url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/2020-12/HZ-AIH.pdf|title=Report of Court of Inquiry on Mid-Air Collision Between Saudi Arabian Boeing 747 and Kazakhstan IL-76 on 12th November, 1996 Near Delhi – India (Charkhi-Dadri, Haryana)|publisher=[[Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)|Directorate General of Civil Aviation]], [[Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)|Ministry of Civil Aviation]]|date=15 July 1997 |access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525230709/https://dgca.gov.in/digigov-portal/Upload?flag=iframeAttachView&attachId=130614975&mainAccidentReports|archive-date=25 May 2020}}
* {{interlanguage link|Anas al-Qawz|ar|أنس عبد الحميد القوز}}. ''{{interlanguage link|A Pilot's Encounters|ar|مواقف طيار (كتاب)}}''. Obeikan, 2000. {{in lang|ar}}: Book by a Saudi pilot which discusses this incident
* Bhavya Dore. "[https://fiftytwo.in/story/collision/ Collision]". ''Fifty Two''. 9 October 2020.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20011202064042/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9611/14/india/index.html Pilot error focus of India collision investigation]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20011202064042/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9611/14/india/index.html Archive]). [[CNN]]. 14 November 1996.

== External links ==
{{external media
| float  = right
| image1 = [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?keywords=hz-aih&page_limit=15&calccount=5&truecount=true&engine_version=6.0 Pre-Crash photos of the two airliners at Airliners.net]}}
*[[Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)|Directorate General of Civil Aviation]] [http://dgca.nic.in/circular/ops/Ops03_99.pdf OPERATIONS CIRCULAR NO.3 OF 1999] ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224021315/http://dgca.nic.in/circular/ops/Ops03_99.pdf |date=24 February 2012 }})
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20020911221032/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9611/12/india.air.crash/index.html Officials say hundreds feared killed in airline collision over India]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20020911221032/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9611/12/india.air.crash/index.html Archive]). [[CNN]]. 12 November 1996.
* Burns, John F. "[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE6DB163AF936A25752C1A960958260 Indian and Kazak Officials Trade Accusations in Air Collision]." ''[[The New York Times]]''. 15 November 1996.
* Centre for Disaster Management (Haryana Institute of Public Administration)  [https://web.archive.org/web/20160223114256/http://www.cdmhipa.in/images/Case%20Study/casestudy.php Case Study: Charkhi Dadri Mid Air Collision]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YCr2i8bXkg Victims, crash site of the mid-air collision] from ''[[Associated Press]] Archive''

{{Portal bar|Aviation|India|Saudi Arabia|<!--For Kazakhstan-->Asia|1990s}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in India}}
{{Aviation incidents and accidents in 1996}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996 Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision}}
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 747]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1996]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in India]]
[[Category:1996 disasters in India]]
[[Category:Mid-air collisions involving airliners]]
[[Category:Mid-air collisions in Asia]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Ilyushin Il-76]]
[[Category:Kazakhstan Airlines accidents and incidents]]
[[Category:Saudia accidents and incidents]]
[[Category:1990s in Haryana]]
[[Category:November 1996 in India]]
[[Category:Charkhi Dadri district]]
[[Category:Disasters in Haryana]]