 VT-EBD, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1977 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 January 1978 |
| Summary | Crashed following loss of control at night |
| Site | Arabian Sea, 3 km (1.9 mls) west of Santacruz Airport, Bombay, India 18°58′30″N 72°09′33″E / 18.975°N 72.1592°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-237B |
| Aircraft name | Emperor Ashoka |
| Operator | Air India |
| IATA flight No. | AI855 |
| ICAO flight No. | AIC855 |
| Call sign | AIR INDIA 855 |
| Registration | VT-EBD |
| Flight origin | Santacruz Airport, Bombay, India |
| Destination | Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Occupants | 213 |
| Passengers | 190 |
| Crew | 23 |
| Fatalities | 213 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed about 3 km (1.9 mi; 1.6 nmi) 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 the deadliest air accident both in Air India's and India's history until Flight 182 in 1985 and then Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996.[1][2]