Air India Flight 403

Not to be confused with Indian Airlines Flight 403.

Air India Flight 403

The aircraft involved in the accident, 1976.
Accident
Date	21 June 1982 (1982-06-21)
Summary	Pilot error; inclement weather as a contributing factor
Site	Sahar International Airport, Mumbai, India
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 707–437
Aircraft name	Gauri Shankar
Operator	Air India
IATA flight No.	AI403
ICAO flight No.	AIC403
Call sign	AIRINDIA 403
Registration	VT-DJJ
Flight origin	Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Kuala Lumpur
Destination	Sahar International Airport, Bombay (now Mumbai)
Occupants	111
Passengers	99
Crew	12
Fatalities	17
Injuries	25
Survivors	94

Air India Flight 403 was a scheduled Air India passenger flight that crashed at Sahar International Airport in Bombay, India on 21 June 1982. It was likely caused by miscalculated altitude in a heavy rainstorm. The aircraft was the first jetliner inducted into the fleet of an Asian airline.

Accident

On 21 June 1982, Air India Flight 403, a Boeing 707-437 named Gauri Shankar, arriving from Kuala Lumpur International Airport via Madras (now Chennai), crashed after a hard landing during a rainstorm. The fuselage exploded after starting a late go-around. Of 111 occupants on the aircraft, 2 of 12 crew members and 15 of 99 passengers were killed.

Investigation

An Indian public inquiry determined the probable cause of the accident to be "Deliberate reduction of engine power by the pilot 12 seconds prior to first impact due to altitude unawareness resulting in a high rate of descent, very heavy landing and the undershooting of the aircraft by 1300 feet."

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-437 that was registered as VT-DJJ with serial number 17723 and was named Gauri Shankar. It was manufactered by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1960 and was powered by four Rolls-Royce Conway 508 engines.