Umaiordarame at 16:04, 18 March 2026

2026-03-18T16:04:10Z

New page

{{Short description|1966 aviation accident in France}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| name = Air India Flight 101
| occurrence_type = Accident
| image = Débris_d'avion_@_Glacier_des_Bossons_01.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Wreckage of the aircraft in 2023
| date = {{start date|df=yes|1966|01|24}}
| summary = [[Controlled flight into terrain]]
| site = [[Mont Blanc massif]], France
| coordinates = {{coord|45|52|40|N|06|52|00|E|source:plwiki_type:event|display=title,inline}}

| plane1_image = Air India Boeing 707-437 VT-DMN, Heathrow Airprort 11 July 1965.jpg
| plane1_caption = VT-DMN, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1965
| aircraft_type = [[Boeing 707]]-437
| aircraft_name = ''[[Kanchenjunga]]''
| operator = [[Air India]]
| IATA = AI101
| ICAO = AIC101
| callsign = AIRINDIA 110
| tail_number = VT-DMN
| origin = [[Bombay-Santacruz Airport|Santa Cruz International Airport]], [[Bombay]], India
| stopover0 = [[Delhi International Airport]], [[New Delhi]], India
| stopover1 = [[Beirut International Airport]], [[Beirut]], Lebanon
| last_stopover = [[Geneva International Airport]], [[Geneva]], Switzerland
| destination = [[Heathrow Airport]],{{cn|date=February 2025}} [[London]], United Kingdom
| occupants = 117
| passengers = 106
| crew = 11
| fatalities = 117
| survivors = 0
}}
'''Air India Flight 101''' was a scheduled [[Air India]] passenger flight from [[Bombay]] (present-day Mumbai) to [[London]], via [[New Delhi|Delhi]], [[Beirut]], and [[Geneva]]. On the morning of 24 January 1966 at 8:02 CET, on approach to Geneva, the [[Boeing 707]]-437 operating the flight accidentally crashed into [[Mont Blanc]] in France, killing all 117 people on board. Among the victims was [[Homi Jehangir Bhabha]], the founder and chairman of the [[Atomic Energy Commission of India]].

The accident occurred just {{cvt|200|m}} from where an Air India [[Lockheed 749 Constellation]] operating as [[Air India Flight 245]] while on a charter flight had crashed in 1950.<ref name="airwhiners" />

==Accident==
Air India Flight 101 was a scheduled flight from [[Bombay]] to London; and on the day of the accident was operated by a [[Boeing 707]], [[Aircraft registration|registration]] ''VT-DMN'' and named ''Kanchenjunga''.<ref name="ASN" /> The Pilot-In-Command was an 18-year veteran, Captain Joe T. D'Souza.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Haine |first=Colonel Edgar A. |title=Disaster In The Air |publisher=Cornwall Books |year=2000 |isbn=0-8453-4777-2 |location=London |pages=147 |language=}}</ref> After leaving Bombay, it had made two scheduled stops, at [[Delhi]] and [[Beirut]], and was en route to another stop at [[Geneva]].<ref name="ASN" /> At flight level 190 ({{convert|19,000|ft|m|disp=semicolon}}), the crew was instructed to descend for [[Geneva International Airport]] after the aircraft had passed Mont Blanc.<ref name="ASN" /> The pilot, thinking that he had passed Mont Blanc, started to descend and flew into the [[Mont Blanc massif]] in France near the [[Rocher de la Tournette]], at an elevation of {{Convert|4750|m|0}}.<ref name="ASN" /><ref name="Flight174" /> All 106 passengers and 11 crew were killed.<ref name="Flight174" /><ref name="airwhiners">{{cite news |author=Mendis |first=Sean |date=26 July 2004 |title=Air India : The story of the aircraft |url=http://www.airwhiners.net/whine_cheez/20040726.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724221328/http://www.airwhiners.net/whine_cheez/20040726.htm |archive-date=24 July 2016 |access-date=13 June 2013 |work=Airwhiners.net}}</ref>

==Aircraft==
The Boeing 707-437 VT-DMN had first flown on 5 April 1961 and was delivered new to Air India on 25 May 1961.<ref name="Pither" /> It had flown a total of 16,188 hours.<ref name="Pither" />
It was named ''[[Kanchenjunga]]'', after the third highest mountain in the world.

== Casualties ==
Among the 106 passengers who died was Dr. [[Homi Jehangir Bhabha]], the founder and chairman of the [[Atomic Energy Commission of India]].<ref name="Flight174" />

==Investigation==
At the time, aircrew fixed the position of their aircraft as being above Mont Blanc by taking a [[Bearing (navigation)|cross-bearing]] from one [[VHF omnidirectional range]] (VOR) as they flew along a [[Course (navigation)|track]] from another VOR. However, the accident aircraft departed Beirut with one of its VOR receivers unserviceable.<ref name="ASN" /><ref name="Flight174" />

The investigation concluded:<ref name="ASN" />

{{bquote|
a) The pilot-in-command calculated his position in relation to Mont Blanc and reported his own estimate of this position to the controller; the [[radar]] controller noted a different position of the aircraft and passed a communication to the aircraft which would enable it to change its position.

b) The pilot who, under the mistaken impression that he had passed the ridge leading to the summit and was still at a flight level which afforded sufficient safety clearance over the top of Mont Blanc, continued his descent.
}}

==Recent discoveries==
[[File:Monument Malabar Princess Kanchenjunga Refuge du Nid d'Aigle English text.jpg|thumb|English text of the monument at {{ill|refuge du Nid d'Aigle|fr}} in [[Mont-Blanc Massif]]]]

Much of the wreckage of the crashed Boeing still remains at the crash site. In 2008, a climber found some Indian newspapers dated 23 January 1966.<ref name="BBCjewels">{{cite news |author=Bodenham |first=Patrick |date=14 March 2014 |title=The mystery of Mont Blanc's hidden treasure |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26436090 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813064635/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26436090 |archive-date=13 August 2020 |access-date=13 July 2020 |work=BBC News}}</ref> An engine from [[Air India Flight 245]], which had crashed at virtually the same spot sixteen years earlier in 1950, was also discovered.

On 21 August 2012, a {{convert|9|kg|lb|adj=on}} [[jute]] bag of diplomatic mail, stamped "On Indian Government Service, Diplomatic Mail, Ministry of External Affairs", was recovered by a mountain rescue worker and turned over to local police in Chamonix.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9509958/Diplomatic-post-bag-from-1966-Indian-plane-crash-found-on-Mont-Blanc.html |title=Diplomatic post bag from 1966 Indian plane crash found on Mont Blanc |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=30 August 2012 |access-date=28 November 2013 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203232542/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9509958/Diplomatic-post-bag-from-1966-Indian-plane-crash-found-on-Mont-Blanc.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iE1zweyYEwF_sU828t3WmoSS7h6Q?docId=CNG.87a09093caa84ac6dda35a7ddd223788.bd1 |title=Indian diplomatic bag found on Mt Blanc after 46 years |date=August 29, 2012 |work=Agence-France-Presse |access-date=22 February 2019 |archive-date=26 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226122021/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iE1zweyYEwF_sU828t3WmoSS7h6Q?docId=CNG.87a09093caa84ac6dda35a7ddd223788.bd1 |url-status=dead}}</ref> An official with the Indian Embassy in Paris took custody of the mailbag, which was found to be a "Type C" diplomatic pouch meant for newspapers, periodicals, and personal letters. Indian diplomatic pouches "Type A" (classified information) and "Type B" (official communications) are still in use today; "Type C" mailbags were made obsolete with the advent of the Internet.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/indian-diplomatic-bag-found-after-46-years-460469.html |title=Indian diplomatic bag found after 46 years |date=18 September 2012 |website=Firstpost.com |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-date=28 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128200429/http://www.firstpost.com/india/indian-diplomatic-bag-found-after-46-years-460469.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The mailbag was found to contain, among other items, still-white and legible copies of ''[[The Hindu]]'' and ''[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]'' from mid-January 1966, Air India calendars, and a personal letter to the Indian consul-general in New York, C.J.K. Menon.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/279716/diplomatic-bag-reaches-delhi.html |title='Diplomatic bag' reaches New Delhi |newspaper=Deccan Herald |date=19 September 2012 |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-date=23 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223184514/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/279716/diplomatic-bag-reaches-delhi.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The bag was flown back to New Delhi on a regular Air India flight, in the charge of C.R. Barooah, the flight purser. His father, R.C. Barooah, was the flight engineer on Air India Flight 101.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ai-purser-brings-back-diplomatic-bag-lost-in-crash-that-killed-father/1004703/0 |title=AI purser brings back diplomatic bag lost in crash that killed father |newspaper=Indian Express |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817223712/https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/ai-purser-brings-back-diplomatic-bag-lost-in-crash-that-killed-father/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-09-15 |title=Diplomatic bag lost in air crash brought back home |url=https://assamtribune.com/diplomatic-bag-lost-in-air-crash-brought-back-home |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=assamtribune.com |language=en |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817223711/https://assamtribune.com/diplomatic-bag-lost-in-air-crash-brought-back-home |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:National Herald, journal retrouvé sur le glacier des Bossons.jpg|thumb|Newspaper discovered on June 4, 2020, on the Bossons Glacier. It was inside a diplomatic suitcase along with other newspapers and official mail.<ref name="Tramontana">{{Cite book |last=Tramontana |first=Allan |title=Les mystères du glacier des Bossons : crashs d'avion, guerre froide et archéologie glaciaire |year=2024 |isbn=9798300364465 |language=fr |trans-title=The Mysteries of the Bossons Glacier: Plane Crashes, the Cold War, and Glacier Archaeology}}</ref>]]
In September 2013, a French alpinist found a metal box marked with the Air India logo at the site of the plane crash on Mont Blanc containing rubies, sapphires and emeralds, valued at over €245,000, which he handed in to the police to be returned to the rightful owners.<ref name=BBCjewels/><ref>{{cite news |title=Climber finds treasure trove off Mont Blanc |agency=AFP |publisher=Yahoo News Malaysia |date=26 September 2013 |url=http://my.news.yahoo.com/climber-finds-treasure-trove-off-110608530.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928165421/http://my.news.yahoo.com/climber-finds-treasure-trove-off-110608530.html |archive-date=28 September 2013 }}</ref> As no rightful owners were found, however, in December 2021, the gems were divided up equally between the alpinist and the Chamonix commune: each receiving an amount of stones equivalent to €75,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/mont-blanc-jewels-climber-scli-intl/index.html |title=Climber can keep $84,000-worth of jewels he found on Mont Blanc |work=CNN |date=7 December 2021 |access-date=7 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209195043/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/mont-blanc-jewels-climber-scli-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As part of her research for her book ''Crash au Mont-Blanc'', which tells the story of the two Air India crashes on the mountain, Françoise Rey found a record of a box of emeralds sent to a man named Issacharov in London, described by [[Lloyd's]].<ref name=BBCjewels/> On 11 October 2023, the part belonging to the alpinist was sold at an auction in [[Chambéry]] for €25,000.<ref>{{cite news |date=11 October 2023 |title=Un trésor, découvert sur un glacier du massif du Mont-Blanc, vendu aux enchères |trans-title=Treasure discovered on glacier in Mont Blanc massif sold at auction |url=https://www.rts.ch/info/monde/14383438-un-tresor-decouvert-sur-un-glacier-du-massif-du-montblanc-vendu-aux-encheres.html |work=RTS |language=fr}}</ref>

In 2017, Daniel Roche, a Swiss climber who has searched the [[Bossons Glacier]] for wreckage from Air India Flights 245 and 101, found human remains and wreckage including a Boeing 707 aircraft engine.<ref name=Print>{{cite news |url=https://theprint.in/report/the-theories-india-nuclear-energy-pioneer-homi-bhabha/31233/ |title=Sabotage or accident? The theories about how India lost nuclear energy pioneer Homi Bhabha |first=Neera |last=Majumdar |website=ThePrint.in |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=7 September 2019 |archive-date=12 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212201948/https://theprint.in/report/the-theories-india-nuclear-energy-pioneer-homi-bhabha/31233/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2020, as a result of melting of the glacier, Indian newspapers from 1966 were found in good condition.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53390387 |title=Indian papers resurfacing in French Alps could be from 1966 plane crash |work=BBC News |date=13 July 2020 |access-date=13 July 2020 |archive-date=13 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713204430/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53390387 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On June 4, 2020, a diplomatic bag containing newspapers and official mail was discovered. In 2021, a 'secret' document from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs was also discovered<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tramontana |first=Allan |title=Buried Under the Ice of Mont Blanc: A Secret Cold War Document |year=2024 |isbn=9798315237853}}</ref> and in 2024, several film reels from the [[Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory]]'s artificial satellite tracking program, which had been aboard the plane bound for the United States.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="ASN">{{ASN accident|id=19660124-0}}</ref>
<ref name="Pither">Pither 1998, p. 291</ref>
<ref name="Flight174">{{cite journal| title= The Air-India Disaster| journal= [[Flight International]]| url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1966/1966%20-%200293.html| page= 174| date= 3 February 1966| access-date= 21 December 2009| archive-date= 25 September 2013| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130925072928/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1966/1966%20-%200293.html}}</ref>
}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Pither |first=Tony |title=The Boeing 707 720 and C-135 |year=1998 |publisher=[[Air-Britain|Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd]] |location=England |isbn=0-85130-236-X}}
* {{cite book |title=Crash au Mont-Blanc, les fantômes du Malabar Princess et du Kangchenjunga |first=Françoise |last=Rey |location=Chamonix |year=2013 |publisher=Le Petit Montagnard |orig-year=1991 |isbn=9782954272092 |language=fr |trans-title=Crash at Mont Blanc, the ghosts of the Malabar Princess and Kangchenjunga}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1966/v-mn660124/pdf/v-mn660124.pdf Final Report] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20121109201409/http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1966/v-mn660124/pdf/v-mn660124.pdf Archive]) – [[Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile]] {{in lang|fr}}
* Cockburn, Barbara. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/aircraft-pictures/2009/01/air-india-707-crash-wreckage-o.html Air India 707 crash wreckage on Mont Blanc]". ''[[Flight International]]''. 24 January 2009.

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1966}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in France between 1950 and 1999}}
{{Air India}}
{{Portal bar|France|India|Aviation|1960s}}

[[Category:1966 in France]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707]]
[[Category:Air India accidents and incidents|101]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1966]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in France]]
[[Category:January 1966 in Europe]]
[[Category:Mont Blanc]]
[[Category:Deaths on Mont Blanc]]

Air India Flight 101 - Revision history

Umaiordarame at 16:04, 18 March 2026