Narrative:The no. 1 engine of the DC-3 caught fire immediately after takeoff from Calcutta runway 19R. The aircraft failed to gain height, stalled and crashed into trees, about 1 km past the runway end.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "a) Delay in feathering after failure of the port engine (due to inexperience of the pilot in emergency procedures), which resulted in a loss of height; b) the subsequent attempt to establish a climb with a nose-high attitude (to get over the obstructions), below the recommended single-engine rate of climb speed, with both gear and flaps up, and c) the progressive loss of airspeed which finally resulted in a stall on a coconut tree. Although there is no doubt that the profuse smoke emanating from the port engine was due to the failure of the engine, it was not possible to determine the primary cause of that failure."
Classification:
Loss of control
Sources:
» Douglas DC-3 Production List (Issue no. 28)
» ICAO Accident Digest, Circular 47-AN/42 (101-104)
»
The Indian Express - May 1, 1954
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport to Balurghat Airport as the crow flies is 290 km (181 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.