With the nation grieving over the tragic crash of an Air India plane in Ahmedabad, memories of a similar Indian Airlines crash 37 years ago have resurfaced.
The Indian Airlines flight 113 from Bombay to Ahmedabad which crashed on October 19, 1988 — one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the country — killed 133 passengers and crew of the 135 on board the aircraft. Due to poor visibility, at 06:53 a.m. the aircraft struck trees and an electricity transmission pylon, and crash landed into a paddy field near Chiloda Kotarpur village. The crash site was 2.54 km away from the Ahmedabad Airport.
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The aircraft carried 129 passengers and six crew members. All six crew members were killed in the fatal crash. One of the air hostesses, Archana Solanki, was cremated in Ahmedabad and the body of Ann Joseph was sent to Mumbai. Among the victims was one Subhash Kumar Pali, a young member of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). Mr. Pali joined the IRS at the age of 23 and was the only member of the Forward Market Commission, an organsiation that regulates the futures market. Airline sources said there were many foreigners on board.
Originally, five persons survived the crash, including a 12-year-old boy. The others were Vinodbhai Revashankar Tripathi (52), Registrar of the Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Rajiv, 40, Prahalad Vasavad, 29 and Ashok Agarwal, 30, who lost his wife and a baby girl. However, only Mr. Tripathi and Mr. Agarwal survived as the others succumbed to their injuries.
The then Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism Shivraj Patil announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh for each of the passengers killed in the Ahmedabad crash would be paid to next of kin.
How the crash unfolded
The flight was scheduled to depart at 0545 IST but was delayed 20 minutes due to one no-show passenger. The flight departed Bombay at 0605, with the crew contacting Ahmedabad Approach Control at 0620. The visibility dropped from 6 kilometres to 3 kilometres when the crew contacted ATC at 0625.
The aircraft, piloted by Capt. O.M. Dalaya and co-pilot Capt. Nagpal, was in touch with the Ahmedabad Air Control tower a few seconds before the crash occurred. The control tower had warned the pilot of the foggy weather and also of the smog caused by the towering chimnies dotting the approach to the airport. The crew was also advised to report when the aircraft was at 1,700 feet overhead the Ahmedabad VHF omnidirectional range.
Capt. Dalaya tried to approach the main runway as the Boeing began to lose height. However, due to the foggy weather, he almost landed on a water tank. Realising the mistake he tried to ascend but it proved futile. The flight crew did not seek any permission or clearance for landing.
The cockpit voice recorder conversation between the pilot and the co-pilot showed that both were focused on trying to locate the runway visually, however, lost their altitude while doing so. Aviation experts said the misjudgement of the pilot-in-command and co-pilot due to bad weather caused the accident.
Published – June 12, 2025 05:25 pm IST
