ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-2A8 VT-EAM Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)
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Status:
Date:Thursday 31 May 1973
Time:21:58
Type:Silhouette image of generic B732 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 737-2A8
Operator:Indian Airlines
Registration: VT-EAM
MSN: 20486/279
First flight: 1971-03-26 (2 years 2 months)
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A
Crew:Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 7
Passengers:Fatalities: 43 / Occupants: 58
Total:Fatalities: 48 / Occupants: 65
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:6 km (3.8 mls) from Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) (   India)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Madras Airport (MAA/VOMM), India
Destination airport:Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL/VIDP), India
Flightnumber:IC440
Narrative:
The Boeing 737 named "Saranga" collided with high tension wires during an NDB instrument approach, crashed and caught fire. The visibility was below minima, but the pilot continued the approach, descended below minimum descent altitude and selected 40deg. flaps without sighting the runway.
The plane had taken off from Madras at 19:15.

Classification:

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground

Sources:
» Civil aircraft accidents 1973 / Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, CAD, ASD
» Deccan Herald


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Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Madras Airport to Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport as the crow flies is 1751 km (1094 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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