New Delhi – Hong Kong – Jakarta

On April 11, 1955 at 04:25 PM, New Delhi – Hong Kong – Jakarta experienced a crash involving Lockheed L-749 Constellation, operated by Air India, with the event recorded near Natuna Besar Island Riau Islands.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

19 people were known to be on board, 16 fatalities were recorded, 3 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 84.2%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 5, passengers on board: 11, passenger fatalities: 11, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is terrorism act, hijacking, sabotage. The aircraft took off from Hong Kong-Kai Tak Airport bound for Jakarta at 0425 hours Greenwich Mean Time carrying 8 crew members and 11 passengers. The flight was uneventful until approximately five hours after take-off when a muffled explosion was heard in the aircraft while cruising at an altitude of 18,000 feet over the sea. Smoke started entering the cabin through the cold air ducts almost immediately and a localized fire was detected soon after on the starboard wing behind the number three engine nacelle. A rapid descent was commenced for ditching the aircraft and distress signals broadcast. In spite of fire fighting action, during which No. 3 engine was feathered, the fire spread very rapidly and caused hydraulic failure followed by electrical failure. During the final stages of the descent, executed under extremely difficult circumstances, dense smoke entered the cockpit reducing the visibility to almost nil. The aircraft impacted the water with the starboard wing tip, and the nose submerged almost instantaneously. Only three crew members survived the accident. The aircraft was destroyed. All passengers were Chinese and European journalists flying to Jakarta to take part to the Asia-Afro Bandung Conference.

Aircraft reference details include registration VT-DEP, MSN 2666, year of manufacture 1951.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 3.9305°, 108.1902°.