ALLIANCE AIR ACCIDENT AT PATNA: 17 JUL 2000

(From DGCA Accident Summary for year 2000)

Brief Description:            Boeing 737 aircraft VT-EGD, owned by Indian Airlines Ltd. and operated by Airlines Allied Services Ltd. took off from NSCBI Airport Kolkata at 0615 hrs on 17.07.2000 for Patna – Lucknow - Delhi. There were 58 persons on board, including six crewmembers. At approx 0713 hrs, the aircraft informed Patna ATC of the estimated arrival time at Patna as 0736 hrs. The aircraft informed Patna ATC at 0732 hrs that it would like to do a 360-degree due to being high on approach. The ATC informed the aircraft to report final for R/W 25 after carrying out a 360-degree turn and the pilot acknowledged the same. This was the last communication recorded between the aircraft and the ATC. During the approach for R/W 25 at Patna, the aircraft turned steeply to the left, losing height, and collided with the tree in the approach funnel and crashed in the Gardani Bagh area near Patna Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed due impact with the ground and post impact fire.

The probable cause of the accident:       The cause of the accident was loss of control of the aircraft due Human Error (Aircrew). The crew had not followed the correct approach procedure, which resulted in the aircraft being high on approach. They kept the engines at idle thrust and allowed the air speed to reduce to a lower than normally permissible value on approach. They then maneuvered the aircraft with high pitch attitude and executed rapid roll reversals. This resulted in actuation of the stick shaker stall warning indicating an approaching stall. At this stage, the crew initiated a Go Around procedure instead of approach to Stall Recovery procedure resulting in an actual stall of the aircraft, loss of control and subsequent impact with the ground.

Factor: Pilot:      Non-adherence to standard operating procedure.