Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence
Indian Airlines Flight 503 was a scheduled flight operated by Indian Airlines between Agatti and Thiruvananthapuram, with a stopover in Kochi. On 30 July 1998, the Dornier 228 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Kochi killing all six people onboard and three people on the ground.[1]
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a 13-year-old Dornier 228, manufactured in 1986 by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on licence from Dornier, registered as VT-EJW. The aircraft had previously operated for Vayudoot, however was transferred to Indian Airlines in 1993 to operate the Agatti-Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram route. It had an airworthiness certificate valid until 1999.[2][3][4]
Flight information
The flight originated in Agatti, Lakshadweep and was headed for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala after a stopover at Kochi as Indian Airlines flight 503.[3] Kochi had a naval airport where the Airports Authority of India operated a civil enclave.[5]
The flight was commanded by Captain Shiv Raj Singh with Captain Manish Sharma as co-pilot. The captain had 5,000 hours of flight time on the Dornier while the co-pilot had over 2,000 hours. The only other crew member on board the aircraft was the flight purser, Sajid. There were only three passengers on board the sixteen-seater aircraft, none of whom survived. Three people on the ground were also killed, while six others suffered injuries.[2] The passengers, crew and victims on the ground were all admitted to INHS Sanjivani for treatment.[3]
The aircraft took off from runway 17 of the airport at 11:04am local time. After reaching about 400 feet (122 metres) in its initial climb, it pitched up steeply and entered a stall before banking right, entering an uncontrolled descent and crashing into a workshop building near the naval hangar.[6][7] The aircraft burst into flames on impact and was destroyed.[8] Crash tenders responded swiftly and four of the victims, alive but critically injured, were moved to a hospital within 15 minutes of the crash.[2]
Investigation
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered an investigation into the accident and a three-member Committee of Inquiry headed by Air Marshal P. Raj Kumar was constituted under the Aircraft Rules, 1937.[9] The Committee in its report made 49 findings and 7 recommendations and stated that "poor aircraft maintenance practices at Short Haul Operations Department had contributed to the accident".[10] It found that the aircraft had pitched up uncontrollably after takeoff and that this was the result of a "sudden uncommanded downward movement of the Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer leading edge. This was due to partial detachment of its actuator forward bearing support fitting due to non-installation of required hi-lok fasteners."[11][12] Consequently, the aircraft "stalled, fell to its right and crashed."[12]
Indian Airlines paid Template:INR76.87 lakh (Template:Lakh, roughly US$195,000) as compensation to the victims and received Template:INR5 crore (Template:Crore, US$1.27 million) from its insurers towards loss of the aircraft.[13]
References
- ↑ Chronology of Air crashes in India. Hindustan Times(21 May 2003). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 STATEMENT BY MINISTER Accident of an Indian Airlines Dornier Aircraft at Kochi on 30th July, 1998{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India(3 August 1998)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rediff On The NeT: Nine killed as IA plane crashes into naval workshop. m.rediff.com(30 July 1998). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ Dornier Do228 production list. rzjets.net. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ Lok Sabha Debates: Made a statement regarding the accident of Indian Airlines Dornier Aircraft at Cochin on 30 July, 1998. Indian Kanoon. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ Major air crashes in India in two decades. The New Indian Express(22 May 2010). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ Aircraft Loss of Control: Problem Analysis for the Development and Validation of Technology Solutions. NASA Technical Reports Server. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ DORNIER 228, VT-EJW, KOCHI AERODROME, INDIA, 30-JUL-1998. www.fire.tc.faa.gov. CSRTG Aircraft Accident Database. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ Report of the Committee of Inquiry investigating the accident involving Indian Airlines Dornier aircraft VTEJW at Kochi on 30th July, 1998. www.dgca.gov.in. Directorate General of Civil Aviation(1998-11-14). Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ↑ FINDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE ON DORNIER AIRCRAFT CRASH. archive.pib.gov.in. Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:5087. Lok Sabha, Parliament of India. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 CIVIL AVIATION AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR 1998. Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:4329. Lok Sabha, Parliament of India. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1998 Template:Air India