Indian Airlines Flight 491
Indian Airlines Flight 491 (IC491/IAC491) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Aurangabad to Bombay, operated by India's national airline Indian Airlines. On 26 April 1993, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 737-2A8 with a registration of VT-ECQ crashed shortly after take-off following the aircraft's impact with a lorry and a high tension power line. The crash killed 55 people and injured 63 others.
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737-2A8 similar to the one involved. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 26 April 1993 |
| Summary | Crashed due to delay of take-off rotation and poor technique |
| Site | Near Aurangabad Airport, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India 19°52′30″N 75°26′19″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-2A8 |
| Operator | Indian Airlines |
| Registration | VT-ECQ |
| Flight origin | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India |
| 1st stopover | Jaipur International Airport, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| 2nd stopover | Maharana Pratap Airport. Udaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Last stopover | Aurangabad Airport, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India |
| Destination | Sahar Airport, Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupants | 118 |
| Passengers | 112 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 55 |
| Injuries | 19 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Survivors | 63 |
A formal investigation was launched by India's Ministry of Civil Aviation. The final report concluded that the crash was caused by the captain's false perception on take-off technique which ultimately led to the aircraft's impact with a lorry at the end of the runway. Subsequently, the report also blamed authorities for not regulating public vehicles near the airport's vicinity.