Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision (Report)

Case Study:
Charkhi Dadri Mid Air Collision
12 November 1996 at 06:40 PM
CENTRE OF DISASTER MANAGMENT
Haryana Institute of Public Administration
76,HIPA COMPLEX, SECTOR-18, GURGAON-122001
Introduction
The Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision occurred on 12 November 1996 at 06:40 PM over the village of Charkhi Dadri,
to the west of New Delhi, India. The aircraft involved were a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-100B en route
from New Delhi to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 en route from Chimkent,
Kazakhstan, to New Delhi. The crash killed all 349 people board on both planes, making it the world's deadliest
mid-air collision, and the third-deadliest aircraft accident in the history of aviation, behind only the Tenerife airport
disaster and Japan Airlines Flight 123.
The present study, a case study of Charkhi Dadri Air Crash, aims to get into the details of “Causes of Disaster,
Disaster Management Strategies i.e. Response, rescue, and relief operations followed by district
administrations of the affected districts Rohtak and Bhiwani.
……………….
AIRLINE OPERATION - 3
1. AIRCRAFT
7. INJURY INDEX KZ-1907: Fatal Serious Minor/None
Type: 747-100B & IL-76
Crew 10 Nil Nil
Registration: SV-763 & KZ-1907
PAX 27 Nil Nil
2. DATE AND TIME: 12.11.96; 1840 Hrs. Indian Standard Time
Others Nil Nil Nil
3. LOCATION: Near Delhi
8. DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT: Destroyed (both the aircrafts)
4. TYPE OF OPERATION: Scheduled & Non Scheduled
9. PILOT-IN-COMMAND KZ-1907: Licence : Ist class Pilot
5. PERSONS ON BOARD: Crew: 37 board on Kazakhstan flight;
Age : 44 years
crew and passengers Passengers: 312 board on Saudi Arabian Flight
6. INJURY INDEX SV-763 : Fatal Serious Minor/None
Total Hrs. : 9229 hrs
10. PILOT-IN-COMMAND SV-763: Licence : ALTP
Crew 23 Nil Nil
Age : 45 years
PAX 289 Nil Nil, Others Nil Nil
Total Hrs. : 9837 hrs.
Background:
Charkhi Dadri: Charkhi Dadri is a town and a municipal committee in Bhiwani district in the state of Haryana,
India. The town was made by joining the villages of Charkhi and Dadri after urban development.
Charkhi Dadri came to media attention in when, on November 12, 1996, a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il76 struck a Saudi Boeing 747 in the skies above the village, causing both jets to crash into the fields below. The
collision resulted in the deaths of all 349 people on board both aircraft—the deadliest mid-air collision on record
and the deadliest aviation disaster in India, as well as the third-deadliest aviation disaster of all time.
The Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells
fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, rockets and satellites. It also provides leasing and product support services.
Boeing is organized into five primary divisions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA); Boeing Defense, Space &
Security (BDS); Engineering, Operations & Technology; Boeing Capital
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport aircraft, often referred to by its
original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft and was
the first wide-body produced. Manufactured by Boeing's Commercial Airplane unit in the United States, the
original version of the 747 was two and a half times larger in capacity than the Boeing 707, one of the common
large commercial aircraft of the 1960s. First flown commercially in 1970, the 747 held the passenger capacity
record for 37 years.
The 747-100 was the original variant launched in 1966. The 747-200 soon followed, with its launch in 1968. The
747-300 was launched in 1980 and was followed by the 747-400 in 1985. Ultimately, the 747-8 was announced
in 2005. Several versions of each variant have been produced, and many of the early variants were in production
simultaneously. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) classifies variants using a shortened code
formed by combining the model number and the variant designator (e.g. "B741" for all - 100 models).
747-100B
The 747-100B model was developed from the - 100SR, using its stronger airframe and landing gear
design. The type had an increased fuel capacity of 48,070 US gal (182,000 l; 40,030 imp gal), allowing for a
5,000-nautical-mile (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) range with a typical 452-passenger payload, and an increased MTOW
of 750,000 lb (340,000 kg) was offered. The first - 100B order, nine - 100Bs were built, one for Iran Air and eight
for Saudi Arabian Airlines. Unlike the original - 100, the - 100B was offered with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A (The
Pratt & Whitney JT9D engine was the first high bypass ratio jet engine to power a wide-body airliner. Its initial
application was the Boeing 747-100, the original "Jumbo Jet". It was the company's first high-bypass-ratio
turbofan.), General Electric CF6-50, or Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines.
HZ-AIH Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-100B - cn 22748 / ln 555
Airframe Details
Airframe Details
Construction Number (MSN)
22748
Aircraft Type
Boeing 747-100B
Line Number
555
First Flight
03. Feb 1982
Airframe Status
Written Off
Airframe Remarks
12.11.96 near DEL
Kazakhstan Airlines was an airline from Kazakhstan, serving as national flag carrier of the country from its
independence in 1991 until 1996, when this role was transferred to Air Kazakhstan following the disaster of Flight
1907.
The Ilyushin Il-76 (NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose four-engine strategic airlifter designed by
the Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967, as a replacement for the
Antonov An-12. It was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly serviced areas of the USSR.
The Il-76 has seen extensive service as a commercial freighter for ramp-delivered cargo, especially for outsized
or heavy items unable to be otherwise carried. It has also been used as emergency response transport for
civilian evacuations as well as for humanitarian/disaster relief aid around the world. Because of its ability to
operate from unpaved runways, it has been useful in undeveloped areas.
Aviation Industries Ilyushin is a subsidiary established in 1992 to act as Ilyushin's marketing and customer
service arm.
Ilyushin has developed aircraft for widely varying roles over the years. The Russian government has merged
Ilyushin with Mikoyan, Irkut, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev under a new company named United Aircraft
Corporation.
Civil Aviation Industry India
Aircraft
movement
Freight Traffic in India
in
India
Passenger Traffic in India
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IATA: DEL, ICAO: VIDP) is the primary international airport of the National
Capital Region of Delhi, India, situated in Palam, 15 km (9.3 mi) south-west of the New Delhi railway station and
16 km (9.9 mi) from New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi, a former Prime Minister of India, it is the
busiest airport in India. With the commencement of operations at the new Terminal 3, it became India's and
South Asia's largest aviation hub, with a current capacity of handling more than 46 million passengers. IGIA
along with Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, together handle more than half of the aircraft
movements in South Asia. The airport's operator, Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL), is looking to
make the airport the next international transit hub.[8]
Director General Civil Aviation: Director General Civil Aviation is responsible for:
l
Registration of civil aircraft;
l
Formulation of standards of airworthiness for civil aircraft registered in India and grant of certificates of
airworthiness to such aircraft
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Licensing of pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers and flight engineers, and conducting examinations
and checks for that purpose;
l
Licensing of air traffic controllers
l
Certification of aerodromes and CNS/ATM facilities
l
Granting of Air Operator's Certificates to Indian carriers and regulation of air transport services operating
to/from/within/over India by Indian and foreign operators, including clearance of scheduled and nonscheduled flights of such operators;
Conducting investigation of accidents/incidents and taking accident prevention measures including
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formulation of implementation of Safety Aviation Management programmes.
l
Carrying out amendments to the Aircraft Act, the Aircraft Rules and the Civil Aviation Requirements for
complying with the amendments to ICAO Annexes, and initiating proposals for amendment to any other
Act or for passing a new Act in order to give effect to an international Convention or amendment to an
existing Convention;
l
Coordination at national level for flexi-use of air space by civil and military air traffic agencies and
interaction with ICAO for provision of more air routes for civil use through Indian air space;
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Keeping a check on aircraft noise and engine emissions in accordance with ICAO Annex 16 and
collaborating with the environmental authorities in this matter, if required;
l
Promoting indigenous design and manufacture of aircraft and aircraft components by acting as a catalytic
agent;
l
Approving training programmes of operators for carriage of dangerous goods, issuing authorizations for
carriage of dangerous goods, etc
Area or en route
Area controllers are responsible for the safety of aircraft at higher altitudes, in the en route phase of their flight. In
most nations they are known as "area" or "en route" controllers. Area controllers are responsible for specific
sectors of 3D blocks of airspace with defined dimensions. Each sector is managed by at least one Area controller.
This can be done with or without the use of radar: radar allows a sector to handle much more traffic; however,
procedural control is used in many areas where traffic levels do not justify radar or the installation of radar is not
feasible. In the United States, En-Route controllers work at Air Route Traffic Control Centers or ARTCCs. In other
countries, area controller's work in Area Control Centers, controlling high-level en-route aircraft, or Terminal
Control Centers, which control aircraft at climbing and descending altitudes from major groups of the airports.
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and
through controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary
purpose of ATC worldwide is to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and provide information
and other support for pilots. In some countries, ATC plays a security or defensive role, or is operated by the military.
To prevent collisions, ATC enforces traffic separation rules, which ensure each aircraft maintains a minimum
amount of empty space around it at all times. Many aircraft also have collision avoidance systems, which provide
additional safety by warning pilots when other aircraft get too close.
In many countries, ATC provides services to all private, military, and commercial aircraft operating within its
airspace. Depending on the type of flight and the class of airspace, ATC may issue instructions that pilots are
required to obey, or advisories (known as flight information in some countries) that pilots may, at their discretion,
disregard. Generally the pilot in command is the final authority for the safe operation of the aircraft and may, in an
emergency, deviate from ATC instructions to the extent required to maintain safe operation of their aircraft.
Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) is a radar system used in air traffic control (ATC), that not only detects and
measures the position of aircraft i.e. range and bearing, but also requests additional information from the aircraft
itself such as its identity and altitude. Unlike primary radar systems that measure only the range and bearing of
targets by detecting reflected radio signals, SSR relies on targets equipped with a radar transponder that replies to
each interrogation signal by transmitting a response containing encoded data. SSR is based on the military
identification friend or foe (IFF) technology originally developed during World War II, therefore the two systems are
still compatible.
Mid Air Collision an Unforgettable Happening
A mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Owing to
the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the
total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually results.
The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by miscommunication, mistrust, error in navigation, and deviations
from flight plans. Although a rare occurrence due to the vastness of open space available, collisions often happen
near or at airports, due to the large volume of aircraft and closer spacing compared to general flight but in spite of
this an unforgettable and most devastating as well as Asia's deadliest civilian mid air collision occurred between
two flights at Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India
The Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-168B, registration HZ-AIH, was due to operate Flight 763 (SVA763) from
Delhi to Dhahran and Jeddah, with 312 occupants on board mostly Indians who were traveling to Saudi Arabia for
jobs or to Islamic holy sites, took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport; the Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il76TD, registration UN-76435, carrying 37 people, mostly Kazakh businessmen traveling to purchase wool goods - cheap in India -- for sale in Kazakhstan, was on a charter service from Chimkent to Delhi as KZA1907. SVA763
departed New Delhi at 18:32 local time. KZA1907 was, at the same time, descending to land at New Delhi. Both
flights were controlled by approach controller VK Dutta. The crew of SVA763 consisted of Captain Khalid Al
Shubaily, First Officer Nazir Khan, and Flight Engineer Edris Arabia. On KZA1907, Gennadi Cherepanov served as
the pilot and Igor Repp served as the radio operator.
KZA1907 was cleared to descend to 15,000 feet (4,600 m) when 74 miles (119 km) from the airport while SVA763,
traveling on the same airway as KZA1907 but in the opposite direction, was cleared to climb to 14,000 feet (4,300
m). About eight minutes later, around 18:40, KZA1907 reported having reached its assigned altitude of 15,000 feet
(4,600 m) but it was actually lower, at 14,500 feet (4,400 m), and still descending. At this time, Dutta advised the
flight, "Identified traffic 12 o'clock, reciprocal Saudia Boeing 747, 10 miles (16 km). Report in sight."
When the controller called KZA1907 again, he received no reply. He warned of the other flight's distance, but it was
too late. The two aircraft had collided, the tail of KZA1907 cut through SVA763's left wing and horizontal stabilizer.
The crippled Boeing quickly lost control and went into rapidly descending spiral motion towards the ground with fire
trailing from the wing. The Boeing broke up in air under the stresses before the wreckage hit the ground at almost
1,135 km/h (705 mph). The Ilyushin remained structurally intact as it went in a steady but rapid and uncontrolled
descent until it crashed in a field.
Collision site
Indian aviation officials released excerpts of the taped conversation between New Delhi's control tower and the
pilots of the Saudia Airlines jumbo jet and the Kazakh Airways Ilyushin charter plane which collided in darkness at
14,000ft.
The tapes, according to Indian officials, prove that both pilots acknowledged receiving instructions from air
controllers to fly at varying heights. The Saudi flight, bound to Dharan and Jeddah, was cleared to fly at 14,000ft,
while the Kazakh aircraft, headed for New Delhi, was ordered to descend no lower than 15,000ft.
One senior official at Delhi airport reported the enquiry commission that they had bad experiences with these pilots
from the former Soviet Union They doesn't speak English very well. When they ask them to repeat the instructions
they have just given them, a lot of times they say `Roger' and then turn off their radios.”
In the transcript, the Kazakh pilot reports in at 15,000ft and is told: "Roger, maintain level 150 [15,000ft]. Identified
traffic 12 o'clock reciprocal. Saudi Boeing 747, 14 miles. Report in sight."
The Kazakh pilot: "Report how many miles?"
Control tower: "14 miles now. Roger. Traffic in 13 miles, level 140 (14,000 feet)."
A minute later the controller watched, horrified, as two green blips on his radar converged and vanished off the
radar screen.
Indian air controllers also complained that pilots from the former Soviet Union sometimes confuse their
calculations because they are accustomed to using the metric system to calibrate altitude and distances, while all
other countries use nautical miles and feet.
Investigation and final report
Communication gap caused Charkhi Dadri mishap: ATC guild
The crash was investigated by the Lahoti Commission, headed by then-Delhi High Court judge Ramesh
Chandra Lahoti. Depositions were taken from the Air Traffic Controllers Guild and the two airlines. The flight data
recorders were decoded by Kazakhstani Airlines and Saudia under supervision of air crash investigators in
Moscow and Farnborough, England, respectively. The ultimate cause was held to be the failure of Kazakhstan
Airlines Flight 1907's pilot to follow ATC instructions, whether due to cloud turbulence or due to communication
problems.
The commission determined that the accident had been the fault of the Kazakhstani Il-76 commander, who
(according to FDR evidence) had descended from the assigned altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m) to 14,500 feet
(4,400 m) and subsequently 14,000 feet (4,300 m) and even lower. The report described the cause of this serious
breach in operating procedure to the lack of English language skills on the part of the Kazakhstani aircraft pilots;
they were relying entirely on their radio operator for communications with the ATC. The radio operator did not have
his own flight instrumentation but had to look over the pilots' shoulders for a reading. Kazakhstani officials stated
that the aircraft had descended while their pilots were fighting turbulence inside a bank of cumulus clouds.
Indian air controllers also complained that the Kazak pilots sometimes confuse their calculations because
they are accustomed to using the metric system to calibrate altitude and distances, while all other countries use
nautical miles and feet.
Just a few seconds from impact, the Kazakhstani plane climbed slightly and the two planes collided. This
was because the radio operator of Kazakhstan 1907 discovered only then that they were not at 15,000 feet and
asked the pilot to climb. The captain gave orders for full throttle, and the plane climbed, only to hit the oncoming
Saudi plane. The tail of the Kazakhstani plane clipped the left wing of the Saudi jet, severing both parts from their
respective planes. Had the Kazakhstani pilots not climbed slightly, it is likely that they would have passed under the
Saudi plane.
The recorder of the Saudi plane revealed the pilots reciting the prayer that is required, according to Islamic
law, when one faces death. The counsel for the ATC Guild denied the presence of turbulence, quoting
meteorological reports, but stated that the collision occurred inside a cloud. This was substantiated by the affidavit
of Capt. Place, who was the commander of the aforementioned Lockheed C-141B Star lifter, which was flying into
New Delhi at the time of the crash. The members of his crew filed similar affidavits.
The Air Traffic Controllers Association submitted before the Justice R C Lahoti court of inquiry that the mid-air
collision between the Kazakh IL-76 and the Saudia aircraft on November 12, 1996 was caused because the IL-76
crew did not understand English well.
ATC Guild general secretary Brijender Shekhar Shukla said the resulting confusion may have caused the mishap.
As per the cockpit voice recorder transcript of the two aircraft and the ATC tape, it is evident that the Kazakh aircraft
crew had 'difficulty' understanding instructions, he said, adding that the presence of an interpreter (the Kazakh
radio operator) made the aircraft commander relax without having things under control.
Shukla said the commander knew he was told to fly at 15,000 feet, but just seconds before the accident inquired
about his height. When he found the aircraft was still descending below the assigned level. He said the CVR
transcript would show why the aircraft descended below 15,000 feet.
The transcript shows that the radioman was initially not able to understand the conversation about the
traffic. That is why he stated that ''Will report ... How many miles,'' to which the ATC replied, ''Eight miles now''. Later
when radioman said, ''Report eight miles,'' the controller corrected him, saying, ''Traffic is at eight miles, level one
four zero,'' meaning there was another aircraft at level one four zero (14,000 feet). This is the transmission which
assumes maximum relevance, Shukla said.
Although the radioman seemingly understood the implication, the co-pilot, who was at the controls, was
busy with other work and wrongly concluded that it meant he was being cleared to fly at 14,000 feet, the ATC guild
representative contended.
About 38 seconds before the collision, the Kazakh aircraft was at 14,800 feet and descended to 14,100 feet
25 seconds before the collision and maintained that level, resulting in the accident.
An aircraft accident investigating branch, UK, report also mentioned that there was not sufficient
turbulence to cause the rapid change in altitude recorded, and put it down to faulty equipment.
The ATC Guild submitted that although there were weather equipment in both the Kazakh and Saudi
aircraft capable of detecting any turbulence, but none was reported. The meteorological department too did not
report any turbulence over Charkhi Dadri on the day of the mishap. The prevailing high pressure also did not
support the existence of any such turbulence, Shukla said, adding that evasive action was impossible since the
aircraft crashed within a cloud.
Shukla said it had been hinted that ATCs could opt for greater distance between aircraft - more than 1,000
feet. The 1,000 feet vertical separation has been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization after
taking into account all possible errors and tolerances. This standard is being implemented all over the world, he
added.
Shukla contended that since both aircraft were instructed to maintain flight levels that separated them by
1,000 feet and since there was no essential traffic flying, no collision was expected. Traffic information was
provided to the Kazakh aircraft only as additional information, to let them know why the aircraft was being asked to
stay at 15,000 feet, he said.
Among the factors contributing to the unauthorized descent of the Kazakh aircraft, the report cites the pilot's
"inadequate knowledge of English language," which resulted in misinterpretation of air traffic controllers'
instructions. The report also charges the Kazakh pilots with "poor airmanship," lack of proper crew resource
management skills on the part of the pilot-in-command and the "casual attitude of the crew." It also noted that
neither plane was equipped with airborne avoidance collision systems, not obligatory under Indian civil aviation
law at that time. Though it did not play a role in the mid-air accident, the report also faulted India's air traffic control
organization for not having a system of licensing of air traffic controllers and for not maintaining the same standards
throughout the country both for civil and military air traffic controllers.
Furthermore, Indira Gandhi International Airport did not have secondary surveillance radar, which provides
extra information, such as the aircraft's identity and altitude, by reading transponder signals; instead the airport
had primary radar, which produces readings of distance and bearing, but not altitude. Although the airport's single
air corridor did not contribute to the accident, unilateral routes would enhance traffic handling capacity. In addition,
the civilian airspace around New Delhi had one corridor for departures and arrivals. Most areas separate
departures and arrivals into separate corridors. The airspace had one civilian corridor because much of the
airspace was taken by the Indian Air Force. Due to the crash, the air-crash investigation report recommended
changes to air-traffic procedures and infrastructure in New Delhi's air-space:
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Separation of inbound and outbound aircraft through the creation of 'air corridors’
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Installation of a secondary air-traffic control radar for aircraft altitude data
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Mandatory collision avoidance equipment on commercial aircraft operating in Indian airspace
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Reduction of the airspace over New Delhi that was formerly under exclusive control of the Indian Air Force
The Civil Aviation Authorities in India made it mandatory for all aircraft flying in and out of India to be equipped
with an Airborne Collision Avoidance System
Crash Facts and details about victims
The collision occurred at a height of Around 14,500 ft above sea level. Speed at impact: 500 km per hour. Weight of
wreckage was Over 500 tonnes which means Equal to 600 Maruti cars raining down from the sky. Debris spread
around a radius of five. Distance separating debris of the two aircraft was 7 km. Total killed: 349 (312 aboard the
Saudi Airways Boeing 747 and 37 in the Kazakhstan Airlines IL-76) Condition of bodies: 257 largely intact. 60
charred beyond recognition. 32 completely mutilated.
Nationalities of dead: Indians 231, Saudis 18, Nepalese 9, Pakistanis 3, Americans 2, British 1 and
Bangladeshi 1. Unidentified: 86.
State-wise breakup of Indians killed: Uttar Pradesh 80, Bihar 48, Rajasthan 46, Delhi 15, Kerala 13,
Jammu and Kashmir 9, Punjab 7, Andhra Pradesh 3, Maharashtra 3, Haryana 2, Assam 2, Madhya Pradesh 2,
West Bengal 1.
Rescue and Response by district Administration
The receipt of initial information without much loss of time is very critical in such incidents. In this case the
information was given to the collector on phone by the village Sarpanch, who reported that a massive fire ball as
seen falling swiftly on to fields of his village. Saudi Arabian flight crashed into fields of Charkhi Dadri in Bhiwani
district of Haryana and Kazakh flight crashed into the fields of village Birohar in Rohtak district of Haryana. Two
sites are separated by a distance of 4 KMs. The first information was received by Collector District Rohtak.
On receipt of information, district fire officer was instructed to immediately send all the fire tenders available
in district to the site. Local SDM, area DSP, area Station House Officer, Tehsildar, BDPOs were alerted through
Police Control Room. Police control room was also asked to inform SP and pass same message to state Head
Quarters. At this stage only information was that a huge fireball fell into fields. Till this time it was not possible to
know what it was and how it happened. Collector and SP rushed to the spot. CMO was also asked to reach the site
with ambulance. Red Cross society was also asked to reach the spot. The distance was about 40 KMs from district
head quarters and it took one hour to reach the spot.
On reaching the spot it was realized that it was a major plane crash as one could see the huge debris of a
plane. Very traumatic and terrible site where one could see mangled dead bodies, intestines, and flesh; cut pieces
of limbs and various pieces of bodies under the debris of plane strewn all over the place.
Despite the darkness of night the debris of lane was found scattered in a radius of three kms.
Information was immediately updated to state headquarters as to pass information to relevant head quarters
and necessary action initiated. By this time many officers reached the site and place was illuminated by putting
headlights of all vehicles. Battery powered lights
available in vehicles were used to identify bodies or their parts and debris of plane. The insignia on plane was not
decipherable, as it was in a foreign language. After some search, a piece was traced in debris having the words
“Kazakhstan Airlines” painted in English on the part of plane.
The plane was broken in middle of body with the cockpit strewn on one side and tail portion strewn on other
and wings totally detached and fragmented. Blood was seen in many parts of area. A lot of foreign currency,
clothes, other belongings of passengers and crew were also strewn all over the place. By the time relief parties
reach the spot fire was not left in debris though it was smoldering. Apparently the fuel tank was not damaged so the
bodies and belongings were not burnt. Later on one found that other plane (Saudi Arabian Flight) which crashed in
other district took the impact on fuel tank and all the bodies and belongings were badly burnt in the crash. District
officials of Bhiwani also reached that spot and were responding to the incident.
A large crowd gathered around the spot. Civil and police officials assembled at the spot along with some
volunteers from village and grouped into various parties. These parties were pressed into service to map up the
place. Doctors assembled there were asked to check whether any life was remaining among the passengers of
plane though it was apparent that accident was so terrible that there was no chance of life remaining in those
bodies as the bodies were not even in one piece. Reinforcement of medical and paramedical staff was sought from
PGIMS Rohtak. They along with parties formed were asked to extricate the bodies or their pieces from the debris. A
huge white cloth was procured from village and nearby towns and body parts were placed one by one after
extricating them on this cloth which was laid down in open field. Putting the pieces of bodies together was a major
and horrible task in itself in the sense that one had to literally search for various parts of bodies in radius of one
kilometer.
Medical personnel from PGI Rohtak had to measure limbs and match them with torso and head and so on.
The fragments of clothes worn were also used to match pieces of bodies. In this manner 47 bodies were identified.
Then pieces of white cloth were procured and these bodies were wrapped in a hearse vehicle and were transferred
to mortuary of civil hospital at district head quarter.
As mentioned earlier, a lot of foreign currency was strewn all over the place, some parties were pressed into
service to collect this currency, belongings and other such items and place then in separate trunks procured from
district headquarters. Account of collected material was also made by the parties. Police parties along with some
civil officials were formed to comb the entire area i.e. radius of three kilometers to trace the debris of plane. They
were given powerful battery powered lights to trace this debris, as it was a dark night. Some of debris was traced in
various bushes in open fields only during the following day. Entire operation took three days and three nights
continuously to complete. As when the debris of plane was identified at various spots, police parties were posted
round o' Clock to guard the debris. One was aware that the flight data recording system known popularly as “O”
was very crucial for any enquiry into the cause of accident. But none of people present there could exactly identify
black box through 3-4 pieces of debris looked like that. Precaution was taken to guard every piece of debris. This
exercise proved to be beneficial later when the Honorable Justice Lahoti Commission which was appointed by
Govt. of India to enquire into the incident, visited the site and the Lloyds Insurance Company, which had insured the
plane, was also particular about every part of debris.
Photographs of every dead body and every piece of debris were taken by police general photographs of site were
also taken to show the currency and belongings strewn over the place. Meanwhile Joint Secretary Civil Aviation,
Govt. of India and Director General Civil Aviation reached the spot from Delhi at 12:30 am in midnight to take stock
of situation. However the district aviation continued to handle the relief task. Ambassadors or their representatives
of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan also reached the site by 1:30 am as Kazakh, Uzbek, and Russian nationals
were on the ill fated plane. Officials of Kazakhstan Airlines also reached the place to take stock of situation. They
brought along with them list of passengers and crew members. That list was used to identify various bodies by
matching names on list with the identity cards available in the pockets of bodies of dead persons and other similar
methods. Medical personnel used dentures to place together the pieces of dead bodies.
Next day morning, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, local MP, Union Cabinet Secretary, Union Civil Aviation
Secretary, Minister of State Government, Chief Secretary of the state visited the site. By morning all bodies were
transferred to head quarters.
Civil Aviation officials who visited the spot identified the black box, which was specially guarded. The custody of
black box was given to Civil Aviation Officials for decoding purposes under proper receipt.
Handling the media, TV Crews and other crowd was itself a challenging task. The District Public Relations Officer
under supervision of Additional Collector was asked to answer their queries and supply all information. However
collector and SP had to constantly interact with them to answer their queries.
Once the bodies were transported to head quarter, the issue of postmortem arose. The issue of handling
over the custody of bodies to their respective embassies/ relatives along with that of their belongings also arose.
By next day, some relatives of passengers/crewmembers started ringing up from their counties taking help of
interpreters. A conscious decision was taken that where nationality could be identified conclusively; the custody
will be given to respective embassies otherwise te custody will be given to Kazakhstan as plane belonged to
Kazakhstan Airlines which was a state owned airline of that country. This required entire process to be brought into
legal framework as it had to be cogently brought out for legal purposes in a court of law, before judicial enquiry
commission, before the insurance company and foreign embassies.
Ministry of external affairs was also interacting with district administration regularly as it involved a matter of
bilateral nature of three countries. A case was registered under section 304 A, IPC with FIR of Sarpanch. Under this
legal framework, the postmortem of bodies was conducted and belongings and currency was taken as custodial
property. The bodies were embalmed properly by treating them with chemicals and later each body was sewed into
one piece. They were then paced in polythene bags filled with preservative chemicals and then placed in coffins
specially made for this purpose. The bodies were handed over to respective embassies after seeking permission
of court. Entire process was done by PGI Rohtak and undertakers from Delhi.
The currency and belongings were handed over Kazakhstan embassy as per their denomination after they
gave an undertaking to court that they will process the claims of relatives as per law prevailing in Kazakhstan. The
court ruled that before this handover to Kazakhstan embassy, an undertaking be given by Kazakhstan embassy,
that in case any claim was received from any relative directly by court, the embassy will deposit that much amount
in the court to facilitate the court to decide the matter. Al this was brought to state Govt. in form of a report.
On next day Govt. of India appointed an enquiry commission headed by Justice R.C. Lahoti, to enquire into
the accident. The commission visited the site on second day and took stock of the situation. Representatives of
Lloyds Insurance Company also visited the spot. They demanded that before they could assess the damage and
lift the debris, the entire area of 3 kms where debris fell should be fenced. It was offered by district administration
that main site of debris would be fenced and rest sites where smaller pieces od debris fell, would be guarded by
police parties. they were also informed that they or the Airline would have to pay, through
Ministry of Civil
Aviation, compensation to administration for cost of fencing, police contingent and compensation to farmers
whose fields bore the burnt of accident. Insurance company took around three months to lift the debris. Enquiry
commission also inspected the remains of aircraft many times in meanwhile. Finally no compensation was paid
either to state for cost of fencing or to villagers whose field were bore the brunt of accident. The Red Cross of district
bore entire expenditure in tackling aftermath of unfortunate incident.
The site of crash of other plane was in Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani District of Haryana. Several persons in Charkhi
Dadri and neighboring areas heard the deafening sound of explosion and saw descending fire ball. So it took the
officers of sub divisional administration and police only a few minutes to reach the crash site and arrange fire
fighting and medical facilities. Information was also passed on to district administration, Director General of Police
and state Government over wireless.
The debris of Saudi Arabian plane had fall over several areas of agricultural land near the village. There
were no ground casualties as the plane did not fell over the dwelling area of village. The pilot of the Saudi aircraft
had been lionizing in the minds of the Dadri villagers. They viewed that, even in death the pilot struggled to save the
populace on ground. Burning and hurt, he directed the plane as far away from the villages as he could.
Several villagers assembled near the site but fire was still burning so no one could go near the aircraft. It
was a quite challenging task for police to search for survivors and dead bodies. Belongings of passengers and
crew was scattered everywhere so police was also to care of it so that chances of theft could be prevented. The
police arranged for First ad and called for assistance from neighboring districts and army. Crash site was not easily
assessable so administration has to take steps to provide access for fire tenders and ambulances. Police parties
were powered with search light to search for survivors under the debris.
A large number of relatives and friends of crash victims arrived at the site. Correspondents of national and
international newspapers as well as TV channels thronged the place in large numbers. Small town of Charkhi Dadri
had a very little facilities to accommodate such an influx. The administration had its hands full, arranging food,
accommodation and other facilities to hundreds of crowd. Local public and many volunteer organizations came to
help the administration and performed a commendable job. Twenty-one-year-old general secretary of Dadri's
Janata College had formed the Viman Durghatna Rahat Samiti. A generator to light up the site and water for the
bereaved relatives was the Samiti's contribution. The Dadri elders, meanwhile, arranged village hands and
tractors for transporting the bodies to the make-shift mortuary at the civil hospital. Yet another village Samaritan
arranged for a mike to make announcements. And energetic members of the RSS, their saffron headbands firmly
in place, were servicing all over extracting the corpses from the debris, consoling shattered relatives, assisting the
cops and interacting with the media. A man walked around with a leg trying to find a body that matched. A brain lay
outside a skull that had cracked. Horror-struck eyes lay open in death. An infant child had his intestine lying beside
him. Decaying death was in the air. And relatives scrounged for loved ones with handkerchiefs over their noses. Ice
blocks were gathered from different places to preserve the dead bodies.
Three seriously injured persons were taken to civil hospital Charkhi Dadri but they also died on way to hospital.
Nearly 200 dead bodies were extricated and taken to civil hospital along with their belongings for their identification
by relatives. The fire forces took hours to control fire. Army men also reached the site late night and helped the
police in rescue operations. Investigation under section 174 of criminal procedural code was started and
arrangements were made for identification of dead bodies and their preservation as provided in Police Rules and
circular No. 3 of 1984 issued by Government of India, office of Director General, Civil Aviation regarding ' Action
required for police authorities in case of aircraft accidents. Post Mortem examination was conducted on 25 bodies
on the next day of accident but further examination was abandoned on orders of Secretary Civil Aviation, Govt. of
India.
Several VVIPs and Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda visited the site on 13th November and again police
had a tough time providing security to tem and simultaneously attending to protocol duties. Prime Minister ordered
a Court of Inquiry into the accident and assured that the nation will not spare any culprit, if any individual was to
blame.
.
By 14th November, about 298 dead bodies were received at civil hospital. Out of which118 bodies were
identified and handed over to relatives by following a legal procedure. 94 bodies were totally burnt and were
beyond recognition, except through advanced forensic methods like DNA analysis and fingerprints. He
administration taking this possibility, consulted expert team of forensic science lab, Madhuban Karnal, district of
Haryana. But it was turned out that such techniques will take several weeks and tests would have to be conducted
on blood relatives of all dead persons. The tests would have meant preserving of dead bodies for several weeks.
Embalming facilities were not available anywhere in Haryana for such a large number of dead bodies. Facilities
were available in All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi but they were not prepared to take bodies in
unidentifiable conditions. The dead bodies already started putrefying by 14th November and were a threat to health
and hygiene of nearby people. On such grounds, the administration believed it impossible to follow advanced
search methods.
The relatives had to return disappointed after all attempts at identifying bodies failed. They requested the
administration to ensure a decent burial, cremation of bodies and were not in favour of delay in disposal or
exposing the bodies in undignified manner in hospital premises.
The religious leaders also offered their
services at hospital and were also of same opinion. Therefore administration had to take the sad decision of
disposing of the bodies in a dignified manner in accordance with legal provisions. Photographs were taken for each
and every body and doctors also certified that bodies were not identifiable.
With this decision a new issue raised as the list of passengers included persons of three religions namely Hindu,
Muslim and Christian. So the local administration had to divide the bodies into three groups roughly proportionate
to population of three religious groups among unidentifiable passengers and arrange the last rites in accordance
with practices of three religions.
As the falling wreckage of Jumbo Jet had dug about 20 feet into the loose earth, the police and army men
took several days to extricate the wreckage from the pit and recover remaining dead bodies
On 15th November, six more bodies were identified and handed over to relatives. 85 more bodies were recovered
and identified. These were taken to two hospitals in New Delhi for embalming. Seven more bodies were recovered
on 16th and two more bodies were recovered on 17th November accounting for all 312 persons listed by the Airlines.
All these bodies were sent to New Delhi.
A week after the disaster, protest was lodged against the premature disposal of bodies by the embassies of
a country whose citizens were board on the aircraft. They viewed that using advanced forensic techniques, it would
have been possible to identify the bodies. No such suggestions had come from senior officials of embassies who
visited the site earlier on 14t November. Moreover no one could answer the issues raised by local administration
regarding preservation of 94 bodies for several weeks. Even among nearly 100 bodies in identifiable condition,
preserved in New Delhi hospitals, only a few were identified during week long wit by hospital authorities. For
remaining unidentified bodies, civil aviation authorities had to arrange disposal of these bodies after a week,
This was how the terrible disaster responded by the district administration in coordination with various
authorities and volunteers from public. Such disasters cannot be avoided but lessons may be learnt from this case
for providing effective response to any emergency situation.
Bibliography / References
1.
http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=11121996&reg=HZ-AIH&airline=Saudi+Arabian+Airlines
2.
http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19961112-0
3.
4.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/saudi-kazakh-air-collision-boeing-747-crashes-into-il-76over-indian-skies-killing-351-people/1/282693.html
http://watchflicks.net/show/mayday-air-crash-investigation/season/7/episode/5
5.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mid-air-collision-evidence-suggests-pilot-error-may-have-been-cause-of-air-crash/1/282788.html