Krrissh at 22:56, 19 February 2026

2026-02-19T22:56:32Z

New page

{{Short description|1972 aviation accident}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=transp|date=January 2025}}{{Infobox Aircraft occurrence
| name = Japan Air Lines Flight 471
| image = JA8012 DC-8-53 Japan Air Lines JFK 09JUL70 (5580803202).jpg
| caption = JA8012, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1970 in a previous livery
| date = 14 June 1972
| summary = Cause disputed
* [[Controlled flight into terrain]] due to [[pilot error]] ([[India]])
* False [[glide slope]] ([[Japan]])
| occurrence_type = Accident
| site = Near [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Palam International Airport]], New Delhi
| aircraft_type = Douglas DC-8-53
| coord =
| occupants = 89
| crew = 11
| passengers = 78
| fatalities = 86
| survivors = 3
| origin = [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo International Airport]], [[Tokyo]], Japan
| stopover0 = [[Kai Tak International Airport]], British Hong Kong
| stopover1 = [[Don Mueang International Airport]], [[Bangkok]], Thailand
| stopover2 = [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Palam International Airport]], [[New Delhi]], India
| stopover3 = [[Cairo International Airport]], [[Cairo]], Egypt
| stopover4 = [[Leonardo da Vinci International Airport]], [[Rome]], Italy
| stopover5 = [[Frankfurt International Airport]], [[Frankfurt]], West Germany
| destination = [[Heathrow Airport]], [[London]], United Kingdom
| aircraft_name = ''Akan''
| operator = [[Japan Air Lines]]
| callsign = JAPAN AIR 471
| tail_number = JA8012
| total_fatalities = 90
| ground_fatalities = 4
}}
'''Japan Air Lines Flight 471''' was a [[Japan Airlines|Japan Air Lines]] [[international flight]] from [[Don Mueang International Airport]] in [[Bangkok, Thailand]], to Palam International Airport (now [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]) in New Delhi, India. On 14 June 1972 the [[Douglas DC-8-53]] operating the flight, registered JA8012, crashed short of the New Delhi airport, killing 86 of the 89 occupants: 10 of 11 crew members, and 76 of 78 passengers. Four people on the ground were also killed.<ref name="ASN" />

== Passengers ==
Sixteen of the dead were Americans.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 15, 1972 |title=Death Toll in Air Disasters Heavy |work=[[Oshkosh Northwestern]] |agency=[[United Press International]] |url=http://www.newspaperarchive.com/freepdfviewer.aspx?img=17802041 |access-date=March 23, 2009}}</ref> Brazilian actress [[Leila Diniz]] was also among those killed,<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=1972-06-15 |title=Nearly 200 die in Asian air crashes |work=The Bryan Times |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5JBPAAAAIBAJ&pg=1482,5333448&dq=leila+diniz+dies&hl=en |access-date=2020-02-11 |archive-url= |archive-date= |via=Google News}}</ref> as was the sole Indian passenger on the flight,<ref>Indian Express edition of 14 06 1972</ref> Dr. K.K.P. Narasinga Rao, a senior official of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization|Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)]] of the [[United Nations]].

One of the cabin attendants killed in the crash was the sister of [[San'yūtei Enraku V]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-11-01 |title=円楽さん不慮の死をとげた妹と易行院に |trans-title=Mr. Enraku and his sister who died unexpectedly at Ikkyoin |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20091101-561742.html |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=nikkansports.com |language=ja}}</ref>

== Sequence of events ==
The flight was on the Bangkok-New Delhi portion of its Tokyo-London route when the accident occurred. The flight took off from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok at 11:21 UTC en route to New Delhi. At 14:43 UTC, the flight was given clearance for a straight-in [[Instrument landing system|ILS]] approach to runway 28. The plane crashed into the banks of the Yamuna River not long after the 23 mile (43 km) report from the [[Distance measuring equipment (aviation)|DME]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Accidents JAL has caused other than Flight 123 Accident |url=https://www.jal.com/en/flight/safety/center/accident.html |access-date=2016-12-02 |website=www.jal.com |publisher=Japan Airlines}}</ref>

== Cause ==
The exact cause of the accident remains disputed. Investigators representing Japan pointed to the possibility of a false [[glide slope|glide path]] signal causing the crash. Indian investigators claimed the crash was caused by [[pilot error]], specifically the captain ignoring instrument indications and not having sight of the runway (the [[first officer (aviation)|first officer]] was flying the approach to New Delhi).<ref name="ASN">{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |date= |title=14 JUN 1972 Douglas DC-8-53 Japan Air Lines – JAL |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720614-1 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2009-03-23 |website=[[Aviation Safety Network]] |publisher=[[Flight Safety Foundation]]}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Japan|India|Aviation|1970s}}
*[[Indian Airlines Flight 440]], another [[aviation disaster]] that took place at Palam less than a year after Japan Air Lines Flight 471.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{YouTube|id=r3RO17gl6LM?si=d4Mx6DkMBWYDImfD|title=Japan Air Lines Flight 471 CVR recording}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1972}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in India}}
{{JAL Group}}
{{coord missing|Delhi}}

[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error]]
[[Category:Japan Airlines accidents and incidents|471]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in India]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1972]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-8]]
[[Category:1972 in India]]
[[Category:1972 in Japan]]
[[Category:June 1972 in Asia]]

Japan Air Lines Flight 471 - Revision history

Krrissh at 22:56, 19 February 2026