Incident Overview

Description
The Punjab Government Beechcraft 200 Super King Air aircraft VT-EUJ was engaged in a flight from Chandigarh to Kulu-Bhuntar Airport (KUU). The Governor of Punjab & Himachal Pradesh along with his family members were on board. The aircraft took off from Chandigarh Airport (IXC) at 08:50. The aircraft during cruise collided with the trees and rocks on the top of the hill close to Kamru Nag Temple area near Sunder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh. The aircraft was completely destroyed. All the persons on board received fatal injuries. The probable cause of the accident has been attributed to: “The accident was caused due to serious error on the part of the flight crew by not strictly adhering to the VFR conditions for flight to Bhuntar airfield. As a result, the aircraft after encountering cumulous clouds enroute, deviated from the pre-determined route and collided with the hill top covered with clouds. The contributed factors to the accident were : a) Existence of bad weather enroute with cumulous clouds in layers covering the hill tops; b) Pilots not conversant with the topography of the mountains in the region; c) Failure on the part of the flight crew not to refer and follow the maps of the region; d) Mental pressure on the Pilot-in-Command to complete the flight in time with a view to meet the subsequent flight commitments; and e) Failure on the part of the Co-Pilot to bring out flight deviations to the notice of the commander”.
Primary Cause
Failure to strictly adhere to VFR conditions during flight to Bhuntar airfield, leading to a deviation from the planned route due to cumulous clouds.Failure to strictly adhere to VFR conditions during flight to Bhuntar airfield, leading to a deviation from the planned route due to cumulous clouds.Share on: