Incident Overview
Date: Monday 8 September 1958
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-54A-DO (DC-4)
Owner/operator: Indian Airlines
Registration Number: VT-DIA
Location: Madras Airport (MAA) –
ÿ India
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 31
Component Affected: Autopilot FilterAutopilot Filter
Category: Accident
A DC-4 aircraft experienced a catastrophic crash due to a faulty autopilot filter installation, resulting in a cascade failure of the hydraulic system. The lack of proper diagnosis and subsequent misuse of emergency systems led to an overshoot of the runway.A DC-4 aircraft experienced a catastrophic crash due to a faulty autopilot filter installation, resulting in a cascade failure of the hydraulic system. The lack of proper diagnosis and subsequent misuse of emergency systems led to an overshoot of the runway.
Description
En route to Madras, a poorly installed gasket of the autopilot filter gave way, causing a failure of the main hydraulic system. The problems were not diagnosed correctly and upon landing the emergency handpump and air brake systems were not utilized properly, causing the DC-4 to overshoot the runway. The aircraft crashed into obstructions and was damaged beyond repair as a result. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The failure of the commander to effect a safe precautionary landing afte experiencing failures of the main hydraulic system in flight.”
Primary Cause
Failure of the autopilot filter installation.Failure of the autopilot filter installation.Share on:
