Japan Airlines Flight 471

Japan Airlines Flight 471 was a Japan Airlines international flight from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand to Palam International Airport (now Indira Gandhi International Airport) in New Delhi, India. On June 14, 1972 the Douglas DC-8-53 operating the flight, registered JA8012, crashed short of the New Delhi airport, killing 82 of 87 occupants: 10 of 11 crew members, and 72 of 76 passengers. Four people on the ground were also killed.[1]

Japan Airlines Flight 471

JA8012, the aircraft involved, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1970
Accident
Date	June 14, 1972
Summary	False glide slope (Government of Japan) Pilot error, Controlled flight into terrain (Government of India)
Site	near Palam International Airport, New Delhi
Total fatalities	86
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-8-53
Operator	Japan Airlines
Registration	JA8012
Flight origin	Tokyo International Airport (TYO/RJTT), Tokyo, Japan
1st stopover	Kai Tak International Airport (HKG/VHHH), Hong Kong
2nd stopover	Don Mueang International Airport (BKK/VTBD), Bangkok, Thailand
3rd stopover	Palam International Airport (DEL/VIDP), New Delhi, India
4th stopover	Cairo International Airport (CAI/HECA), Cairo, Egypt
5th stopover	Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO/LIRF), Rome, Italy
6th stopover	Frankfurt International Airport (FRA/EDDF), Frankfurt, West Germany
Destination	Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), London, United Kingdom
Occupants	87
Passengers	76
Crew	11
Fatalities	82
Survivors	5
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	4

Passengers

Sixteen of the dead were Americans.[2] Brazilian actress Leila Diniz was also among those killed.[3] The sole Indian passenger on this flight [4] Dr. K.K.P. Narasinga Rao, a senior official of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, was among the dead.

Sequence of events

The flight was on the Bangkok-New Delhi portion of the Tokyo-London route when the accident occurred. The flight took off from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok at 11:21 UTC en route to New Delhi. At 14:43 UTC, the flight was given clearance for a straight-in ILS approach to runway 28. The plane crashed into the banks of the Yamuna River not long after the 23 mile (43 km) report from DME.[5]

Cause

The exact cause of the accident remains disputed. Investigators representing Japan pointed to the possibility of a false glide path signal causing the crash. Indian investigators claimed the crash was caused by pilot error, specifically the captain ignoring instrument indications and not having sight of the runway (the first officer was flying the approach to New Delhi).[1]

See also

• Indian Airlines Flight 440, another aviation disaster that took place at Palam less than a year after Japan Airlines Flight 471.

References

1. Ranter, Harro. "14 JUN 1972 Douglas DC-8-53 Japan Air Lines – JAL". aviation-safety.net. Flight Safety Foundation which owns the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
2. "Death Toll in Air Disasters Heavy." United Press International via Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Thursday June 15, 1972. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
3. "Nearly 200 die in Asian air crashes". news.google.com. The Bryan Times. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
4. Indian Express edition of 14 06 1972
5. "Accidents JAL has caused other than Flight 123 Accident | Safety and Flight Information | JAPAN AIRLINES Corporate Information". www.jal.com. Retrieved December 2, 2016.