• Source:JND
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In what is one of the deadliest plane crashes, Air India's flight AI-171 met with a major accident in Ahmedabad on Thursday, claiming the lives of 241 out of 242 onboard. The plan crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, where over 30 bodies have been recovered so far.

The CCTV footage from the site shows that the plane crashed within 32 seconds of takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad. While the exact cause for the crash is yet to be ascertained, as the probe team has been formed, the crash has inflicted unimaginable pain on hundreds of victims and their families.

As the nation mourns the deaths of over 270 people in the tragic crash, many are recalling a similar horrific incident that took place 47 years ago in 1978 when Air India's Boeing aircraft flight crashwed within minutes of taking off.

ALSO READ: 'Black Box Key In Probe, All Theories To Be Investigated To Find Cause': Aviation Ministry On Ahmedabad Plane Crash

What happened with 'Emperor Ashoka'?

Back then 213 people had died in Air India's flight named 'Emperor Ashoka' that took off from Mumbai and sank into the Arabian Sea.

On the first day of the New Year in 1978, Air India flight AI-855, named 'Emperor Ashoka', also a Boeing aircraft, took off from Mumbai's Santa Cruz International Airport (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) for Dubai.

There were 190 passengers and 23 crew members in this plane. The plane took off from runway number 27 at night, and after reaching a height of 8,000 feet, the plane slightly turned right towards the Arabian Sea. The altitude director indicator (ADI) of this plane had a technical issue.

The plane was being flown by 51-year-old pilots Madan Lal Kukar and Indu Virmani. While Kukar had 18,000 hours of flying experience, Virmani had 4,500 hours of flying experience.

Kukar and Virmai both confirmed problems with their instruments. Flight engineer Alfredo Faria noticed discrepancies in the Captain's ADI and the one on standby.He asked pilots not to follow that hinting to use some other instrument. The pilots supposedly received it too late.

ALSO READ: ‘To Avoid Triggering Trauma': Air India Renames Ill-Fated Flight AI-171 To AI-159 After Ahmedabad Crash

Relying on a faulty instrument, the pilots rolled left and went up to 108 degrees. The aircraft lost altitude, and because of the dark night over the Arabian Sea, no visual horizon reference was available. The plane continued to descend at an angle of 108 degrees and then crashed into the water, 3 km off Mumbai.

All 213 people on board the plane died in this accident. It is believed that the pilots were unable to find the direction of the plane and this major accident occurred.

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