Crash of Air India Flight 855

Date: January 1, 1978 • Location: Malabar Hill, India

Air India Flight 855 (aircraft pictured) crashed into the Arabian Sea seconds after take-off, killing all 213 people.

Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay, India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed into the Arabian Sea about 3 km off the coast of Bandra, less than two minutes after take-off, killing all 213 passengers and crew on board. An investigation into the crash determined the most likely probable cause was the captain becoming spatially disoriented and losing control of the aircraft after the failure of one of the flight instruments. It was Air India's deadliest air disaster until it was surpassed nearly 7 and a half years later by the bombing of Flight 182 and was the deadliest airliner accident in Indian history until it was surpassed nearly 19 years later by the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision.