Indian Airlines Flight 257
Indian Airlines Flight 257 was an Indian Airlines domestic passenger flight operating on the Calcutta–Imphal–Dimapur route. On 16 August 1991, the Boeing 737-2A8 registered VT-EFL crashed into the hilly terrain of Thangjing Hill during its descent, killing all 63 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737-2A8 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 August 1991 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Thangjing Hill, Manipur, India 24°29′54″N 93°40′20″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-2A8 |
| Operator | Indian Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | IC257 |
| ICAO flight No. | IAC257 |
| Call sign | INDIA 257 |
| Registration | VT-EFL |
| Flight origin | Calcutta airport, West Bengal, India |
| Stopover | Imphal Municipal Airport, Manipur, India |
| Destination | Dimapur Airport, Nagaland, India |
| Passengers | 63 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 69 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The crash was attributed to the pilot's non-adherence to the written procedure for an approach to Imphal. The crew decided to violate the approach procedure by taking a short cut and eventually slammed the aircraft into the hilly terrain. During the approach, the crew did not adequately monitor their instruments, despite the deteriorating weather condition at the time. Their actions were influenced by the pilot's decision to solely rely on his extreme familiarity with the terrain.