VT-EBD, the aircraft involved, seen at Paris Orly Airport in 1976
Accident
Date
1 January 1978 (1978-01-01)
Summary
Crashed following loss of control at night
Site
Arabian Sea, 3 km (1.9 mls) west of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Bombay, India 18°58′30″N72°09′33″E / 18.975°N 72.1592°E / 18.975; 72.1592
Aircraft
Aircraft type
Boeing 747-237B
Aircraft name
Emperor Ashoka
Operator
Air India
Call sign
AIR INDIA 855
Registration
VT-EBD
Flight origin
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport,
Bombay, India
Destination
Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Occupants
213
Passengers
190
Crew
23
Fatalities
213
Survivors
0
Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed about 3 km (1.9 mi; 1.6 nmi) off the coast of Bandra, less than two minutes after take-off. All 213 passengers and crew on board died. An investigation into the crash determined the most likely probable cause was the captain becoming spatially disoriented and losing control of the aircraft after the failure of one of the flight instruments. It was the deadliest air accident both in Air India's and India's history until Flight 182 in 1985 and then Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996.[1][2]
^Accident description for VT-EBD at the Aviation Safety Network
^Accident description for HZ-AIH at the Aviation Safety Network
and 29 Related for: Air India Flight 855 information
AirIndiaFlight855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747...
Flight855 may refer to AirIndiaFlight855, crashed on 1 January 1978 Eastern Air Lines Flight855, lost three engines on 5 May 1983 This disambiguation...
safety AirIndiaFlight855 Another Boeing 747 which crashed under almost identical circumstances almost 22 years prior. "Report appendices" (PDF). Air Accident...
to top Italian police officers after landing. On 1 January 1978, AirIndiaFlight855 Emperor Ashoka, a Boeing 747-200B (registered VT-EBD) crashed into...
Air IndiaFlight 101, 24 January 1966 crash into Mont Blanc in France AirIndiaFlight855, 1 January 1978 crash into the Arabian Sea, near IndiaAir India...
original on 22 October 2013. "AirIndiaflight from Dubai crashes in India". NBC News. 21 May 2010. "Casualties feared in AirIndia crash". CNN. 22 May 2010...
The Pan Am aircraft was the first 747 to enter commercial service. AirIndiaFlight855 crashed into the sea off the coast of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) on...
As of April 2024[update], AirIndia operates a fleet of both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft with a fleet consisting of Airbus A319, A320, A320neo...
Korean Air incidents and accidents National Airlines Flight 102 – also crashed shortly after takeoff. AirIndiaFlight855 Avient Aviation Flight 324 –...
the same storm. West Air Sweden Flight 294 Korean AirFlight 8509 Copa Airlines Flight 201 AirIndiaFlight855 Birgenair Flight 301 Cities on Java island...
January 1, 1978, a Boeing 747-237B, AirIndiaFlight855, crashed into the Arabian Sea just off the coast of Bombay, India, killing all 213 occupants on board...
visibility is reduced, such as diving operations. Spatial orientation in flight is difficult to achieve because numerous sensory stimuli (visual, vestibular...
dark ocean: AirIndiaFlight855 Flash Airlines Flight 604 Pan Am Flight 816 There exists a discrepancy over the route served by the flight depending upon...
20th century, and the 9th year of the 1970s decade. January 1 – AirIndiaFlight855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing...
passenger and cargo flights, military passenger and cargo flights, or general aviation flights that have been involved in a ground or mid-air collision. As...
accident.: 60 Ohio portal Aviation portal 1990s portal AirIndiaFlight855 Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 List of accidents and incidents involving commercial...
Anthony Lancelot Dias National income - ₹1,126,714 million 1 January – AirIndiaFlight855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes into the Arabian Sea after takeoff...
January 1, 1978, AirIndiaFlight855 crashed into the sea off the coast of India, killing all 213 aboard. On September 25, 1978, PSA Flight 182 collided...
November December The following events occurred in January 1978: AirIndiaFlight855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashed off the coast of Bombay, killing...
to pilot error, killing 36 of the 57 people on board. January 1 – AirIndiaFlight855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Arabian Sea as a result of instrument...
board Middle East Airlines Flight 438 over Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 81 people on board. 1978 – AirIndiaFlight855, a Boeing 747, crashes into...
Global Information