1994 Sahara Airlines Boeing 737 crash

The aircraft was manufactured for Busy Bee in 1979. It had also made its first flight on April 25, 1979. The aircraft was sold to Sahara Airlines in October 1993. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was almost 15 years old. It was equipped with 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17 engines.[1]

The flight crew consisted of a flight instructor and three trainee pilots. [1]

On Tuesday, March 8, 1994, the Boeing 737-200 took off from Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport,India. At the time of the accident, the Boeing 737-200 had completed five normal training exercises and landings. However, during the sixth training exercise, the aircraft climbed to 400-500 feet when it banked left and crashed at the International Terminal Apron. The wreckage of aircraft hit an Aeroflot Ilyushin 86 aircraft parked on Bay No. 45 as a result of which it also caught fire. All 4 crew members were killed, as well as all 4 crew members inside the Aeroflot Ilyushin 86 aircraft. Additionally, an employee of an airport oil company was killed when the plane impacted the tarmac.[1]

Investigation by the India Commercial Pilot Association (ICPA) revealed that the accident occurred due to application of wrong rudder by a trainee pilot during engine failure exercise. The flight instructor did not guard or block the rudder control and give clear commands during his role to avoid the application of wrong rudder control by the trainee pilot.[1]