Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 14 February 1990
Aircraft Type: Airbus A320-231
Owner/operator: Indian Airlines
Registration Number: VT-EPN
Location: 0,7 km W of Bangalore-Hindustan Airport (BLR) – ÿ India
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 92 / Occupants: 146
Component Affected: Aircraft Control Systems (particularly throttles and altitude control)Aircraft Control Systems (particularly throttles and altitude control)
Investigating Agency: CoI IndiaCoI India
Category: Accident
An Airbus A320 crashed while on approach to Bangalore-Hindistan Airport, India, resulting in the loss of 92 lives and the survival of 54. The flight departed Mumbai at 11:58 and was instructed to descend to FL110. An initial approach was initiated, and the aircraft descended to the point of impact with the Karnataka Golf Club. The aircraft rolled, lifted, and then impacted a berm, causing significant damage to the landing gear and engines. The aircraft continued over the berm and came to rest in a marshy area.An Airbus A320 crashed while on approach to Bangalore-Hindistan Airport, India, resulting in the loss of 92 lives and the survival of 54. The flight departed Mumbai at 11:58 and was instructed to descend to FL110. An initial approach was initiated, and the aircraft descended to the point of impact with the Karnataka Golf Club. The aircraft rolled, lifted, and then impacted a berm, causing significant damage to the landing gear and engines. The aircraft continued over the berm and came to rest in a marshy area.

Description

Indian Airlines Flight 605, an Airbus A320, crashed while on approach to Bangalore-Hindustan Airport, India , killing 92 occupants; 54 survived the accident. Flight 605 took off from Mumbai, India, at 11:58 for a domestic flight to Bangalore. At 12:25 Bangalore approach was contacted and prevailing weather was passed on to the crew (wind variable 5 knots, visibility 10 km, clouds 2 octa 2000 feet, temperature 27 degrees C, QNH 1018). At 12:44 the aircraft was cleared to descend to FL110. Reaching FL110, vectors were given for a visual runway 09 approach. On final approach, the aircraft descended well below the normal approach profile and kept descending until it struck the boundaries of the Karnataka Golf Club (2300 feet short of the runway and 200 feet right of the extended centerline. The aircraft rolled for 80 feet and lifted off again for about 230 feet and came down again on the 17th green of the golf course. The landing gear wheels dug into the ground and the aircraft impacted a 12 feet high embankment, causing the gears and engines to be sheared off. The aircraft continued over the embankment and came to rest in a grassy, marshy and rocky area. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Failure of the pilots to realize the gravity of the situation and respond immediately towards proper action of moving the throttles, even after the radio altitude call-outs of “Four hundred”, “Three hundred” and “Two hundred” feet, in spite of knowing that the plane was in idle/open descent mode. However, identification of the cause for the engagement of idle/open descent mode in short final approach during the crucial period of the flight is not possible.”

Primary Cause

Failure of the pilots to realize the gravity of the situation and respond immediately towards proper action of moving the throttles, even after the radio altitude call-outs of ‘Four hundred’, ‘Three hundred’ and ‘Two hundred’ feet, in spite of knowing that the plane was in idle/open descent mode.Failure of the pilots to realize the gravity of the situation and respond immediately towards proper action of moving the throttles, even after the radio altitude call-outs of ‘Four hundred’, ‘Three hundred’ and ‘Two hundred’ feet, in spite of knowing that the plane was in idle/open descent mode.

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