Air India flight crashes near Ahmedabad; worst since 1996 Charkhi Dadri disaster that claimed 349 lives

Charkhi Dadri mid-air crash in 1996 (Image credit: Getty images)

An Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff near Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat's Meghani Nagar area. Operating as Air India 171, the aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

The plane departed from runway 23 at 1:39 pm and crashed within five minutes of takeoff, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

This is reportedly the deadliest plane crash in India since the 1996 Charkhi Dadri disaster, where Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV 763 collided with Kazakhstan Airlines flight KZ 1907 near Charkhi Dadri, west of Delhi, resulting in the deaths of 349 passengers and crew.

What happened at 1996 Charkhi Dadri plane crash? 

On November 12, 1996, Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV 763 crashed into incoming Kazakhstan Airlines flight KZ 1907 at 6:40 in the evening. One flight was leaving Delhi and other was landing Delhi, both were commercial flights.

The passengers mostly included people going to the Gulf to work in blue collar jobs. Of the 349 people who passed away, 94 bodies were in a state that left them unidentifiable by sight.

Kazakh Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76, was cleared by New Delhi air traffic control to descend from 23,000 to 15,000 feet as it approached Indira Gandhi International Airport. Commander Gennady Cherapanov acknowledged the instruction.

At the same time, Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, a Boeing 747, was climbing out of Delhi and had been cleared to ascend to 14,000 feet. Both aircraft were following instructions from controller V.K. Dutta, who had recently been promoted.

Flight 763 was departing, while Flight 1907 was inbound. Air traffic control alerted the Kazakh crew of nearby traffic 14 miles away, expecting the planes to maintain a 1,000-foot vertical separation.

Tragically, this separation was not maintained. Both aircraft collided mid-air at speeds exceeding 300 mph, resulting in one of the deadliest aviation disasters in history.

This crash resulted in the implementation of Travel Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) in all aircrafts. This device alerts pilots if an aircraft is intruding into their airspace.