Faridabad crash a reminder of several similar past incidents

Several mishaps similar to the Faridabad incident, in which a plane crashed into two houses, have taken place in the past in many parts of the world.

The images of the 9/11 terror attack during which hijacked passenger aircraft tore through World Trade Center Twin Towers are still fresh in the minds of most people.

But in respect of air accidents too, in which planes went down in residential areas, the US has reported some of the worst incidents.



An American Airlines plane crashed into the Belle Harbour neighbourhood in New York City soon after takeoff from John F Kennedy International Airport on November 12, 2001, killing 260 people on board and five on the ground.

On February 13, 2009, a Continental Airlines plane crashed into a house in a Buffalo suburb, killing 49 on board and one person in the building.

In Brazil, a TAM Airlines aircraft crashed while landing in Sao Paulo on July 17, 2007. It crossed the runway and rammed into a TAM Express warehouse. A total of 187 people aboard were killed in addition to 12 people on the ground.

On April 18, 2002, a small plane slammed into the upper floors of a skyscraper in Milan in Italy, killing three.

Closer home, in Hyderabad, an Indian Navy plane performing at an air show crashed into a two-storeyed residential building killing two pilots and injuring two persons on the ground on March 3 last year.

On March 3, 1972, a Mohawk Airlines twin-engine turboprop airliner crashed into a house in New York, killing 17 people.

Also in New York, on July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building. The mishap killed 14 people, including 11 office workers.

10 killed as air ambulance crashes in Faridabad

At least 10 people, including seven on board a chartered air ambulance carrying a critically ill patient, were killed when the aircraft crashed in a densely populated area of Faridabad city of Haryana on the outskirts of the national capital late Wednesday night.

The aircraft crashed on two houses in Parvatia locality near Sector 22 of Faridabad town in bad weather, barely minutes before it was to land here, police and aviation officials said.

Seven people, including two pilots, were killed in the crash. Three people died on the ground and one was injured, senior police officials said.

Ten people including the seven on board the aircraft died in the crash, Faridabad Police Commissioner P.K.Aggarwal said. Three people had died on the ground and one was injured and the toll could go up, he added.

Only three bodies were recovered till 12.30 a.m., Additional Deputy Commissioner (Faridabad) Anita Yadav said.

Police said that victims included three women.

Apart from the two pilots, the plane was also carrying four passengers, including a doctor, all of whom died.

The air ambulance was carrying Rahul Raj, a critically ill patient from a private hospital in Patna for treatment to Apollo Hospital here when the accident took place. The aircraft had gone from New Delhi to bring the patient from Patna.

The Pilatus PC-12 single-engined turbo-prop aircraft was flying to the capital from Patna, rushing a seriously-ill patient for specialised medical treatment when the crash occurred at 10.50 pm., five minutes after it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control at Delhi airport, aviation officials said.

The aircraft was descending from 8,000 feet when it went off the ATC radar, an official said.

The plane crashed into two houses in a thickly populated area of Delhi's suburban town and 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to aid in the rescue operations, Haryana police chief Ranjiv Dalal told IANS in Chandigarh.

Flames billowed from the houses as residents of the area rushed to clear the debris. Mangled remains of the aircraft were littered all over the area.

An eyewitness told a TV news channel that he was on the roof of his house as he usually 'stargazed' at night when he noticed a plane flying 'sideways' instead of straight in heavy wind conditions.

According to an ATC official, 'apart from the difficulty of operating a single-engined aircraft, doing so in heavy wind conditions can cause a disaster. In heavy wind conditions, the backdraft from the wind hitting the tail can make the aircraft unstable and cause it to nosedive'.

The aircraft, registration number VT-ACF, was being operated by Air Charter Services India. The aircraft was manufactured in 2005.