2015 Indian Border Security Force King Air crash
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2016) |
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (March 2024) |
Ranchi Airport , Ranchi , India | |
| Occupants | 10 |
|---|---|
| Passengers | 8 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
On 22 December 2015, a light aircraft of the Indian Border Security Force crashed within the grounds of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India. Ten personnel of the Border Security Force, three officers and seven senior technicians, were killed.[1] The 22-year-old Beechcraft B200 King Air took off for Ranchi just before 9.30am, before crashing shortly afterwards.[2]
Aircraft & crew
Aircraft
VT-BSA the aircraft involved in the accident was a 22-year-old Beechcraft B200 King Air built in July 1994 with construction number BB-1485, it was powered by two turboprop Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42 engines, registered as N1509X.[3] It was delivered to Rageflyers Inc. on May 15,1995, with the registration number N1509X. Finally to will be sold to Indian Border Security Force on August 3, 1995.[4]
Crew
The
Accident
After the King Air's engines were started the crew reported that there was a problem (the nature of which has not been reported), but continued with the flight after advice from ground staff. The aircraft took off at 9:27am local time, with an expected arrival time at Ranchi of 12:00pm.[7]
Soon after taking off, the crew informed air traffic control that something was wrong and that they would return the aircraft to Delhi. The crew were then cleared to make an emergency landing on Delhi's Runway 28.[7] At 9:40am contact was lost with the aircraft. The King Air veered to the left, narrowly missing a village. It brushed a tree before hitting the perimeter wall of the airport, it then crashed into a sewage treatment plant within the airport complex. The aircraft then caught fire and was almost completely destroyed. All ten occupants were killed; one person on the ground was injured.[7]
Victims
In addition to the two pilots, there were 8 other people present, all of whom died in the crash, bringing the total number of victims to ten. Seven bodies were found in a water tank while the remaining 3 were found outside. All the occupants were all from India and were paramilitary technicians on their way to Ranchi.[8]
Probable cause
On August 15, 2017 the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its final report stated that the probable cause was a pilot error regarding the activation of autopilot without selecting the heading mode soon after liftoff (before attaining sufficient height) in foggy condition, the pilots doesn't take any corrective action to manage the inclement increase of the left bank; in doing so, the crew allowed the airplane to make a 180° turn, that lead a loss of height in a sharp left bank attitude that results in the impact with the ground.[6]
References
- British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- New Delhi Television Limited. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Aircraft Data VT-BSA, 1994 Beechcraft B200 Super King Air C/N BB-1485". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "VT-BSA Indian Border Security Force Super King Air B200". www.planelogger.com. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Indian Air Force Aircraft Data [www.bharat-rakshak.com]". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ a b "FINAL INVESTIGATION REPORT ON ACCIDENT TO BORDER SECURITY FORCE SKA B-200 AIRCRAFT VT-BSA NEAR IGI AIRPORT, DELHI ON 22.12.2015" (PDF). AAIB India. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Dash, Nivedita (22 December 2015). "BSF aircraft crashes into Delhi airport wall, all 10 officers onboard killed". Indiatoday.in. Living Media India. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "BSF aircraft crashes near Delhi airport, all 10 on board killed". India Today. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
External links
- Final report of the accident
- Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network