Japan Air Lines Flight 471 was a Japan Air Lines international flight from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, to Palam International Airport (now Indira Gandhi International Airport) in New Delhi, India. On 14 June 1972 the Douglas DC-8-53 operating the flight, registered JA8012, crashed short of the New Delhi airport, killing 86 of the 89 occupants: 10 of 11 crew members, and 76 of 78 passengers. Four people on the ground were also killed.[1]
.jpg) JA8012, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1970 in a previous livery | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 June 1972 |
| Summary |
|
| Site | Near Palam International Airport, New Delhi |
| Total fatalities | 90 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-8-53 |
| Aircraft name | Akan |
| Operator | Japan Air Lines |
| Registration | JA8012 |
| Flight origin | Tokyo International Airport (TYO/RJTT), Tokyo, Japan |
| 1st stopover | Kai Tak International Airport, Hong Kong |
| 2nd stopover | Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand |
| 3rd stopover | Palam International Airport, New Delhi, India |
| 4th stopover | Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt |
| 5th stopover | Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, Rome, Italy |
| 6th stopover | Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, West Germany |
| Destination | Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom |
| Occupants | 89 |
| Passengers | 78 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 86 |
| Survivors | 3 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 4 |
Passengers
editSixteen of the dead were Americans.[2] Brazilian actress Leila Diniz was also among those killed,[3] as was the sole Indian passenger on the flight,[4] Dr. K.K.P. Narasinga Rao, a senior official of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
One of the cabin attendants killed in the crash was the sister of San'yūtei Enraku V.[5]
Sequence of events
editThe flight was on the Bangkok-New Delhi portion of its Tokyo-London route when the accident occurred. The flight took off from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok at 11:21 UTC en route to New Delhi. At 14:43 UTC, the flight was given clearance for a straight-in ILS approach to runway 28. The plane crashed into the banks of the Yamuna River not long after the 23 mile (43 km) report from the DME.[6]
Cause
editThe exact cause of the accident remains disputed. Investigators representing Japan pointed to the possibility of a false glide path signal causing the crash. Indian investigators claimed the crash was caused by pilot error, specifically the captain ignoring instrument indications and not having sight of the runway (the first officer was flying the approach to New Delhi).[1]
See also
edit
- Indian Airlines Flight 440, another aviation disaster that took place at Palam less than a year after Japan Airlines Flight 471.
References
edit- ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "14 JUN 1972 Douglas DC-8-53 Japan Air Lines – JAL". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ "Death Toll in Air Disasters Heavy". Oshkosh Northwestern. United Press International. June 15, 1972. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ "Nearly 200 die in Asian air crashes". The Bryan Times. June 15, 1972. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via Google News.
- ^ Indian Express edition of 14 06 1972
- ^ "円楽さん不慮の死をとげた妹と易行院に" [Mr. Enraku and his sister who died unexpectedly at Ikkyoin]. nikkansports.com (in Japanese). November 1, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "Accidents JAL has caused other than Flight 123 Accident". www.jal.com. Japan Airlines. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
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