Agartala – Calcutta

On December 30, 1949 at 12:00 AM, Agartala – Calcutta experienced a crash involving Douglas C-54 Skymaster, operated by Bharat Airways, with the event recorded near Comilla Chittagong.

The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

3 people were known to be on board, 7 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 233.3%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 7.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. En route from Agartala to Calcutta, a fire erupted in the cargo compartment. The captain decided to reduce his altitude and attempted an emergency landing. The four engine aircraft crash landed in a prairie located in Comilla, slid for several yards and came to rest in flames. All three crew members were able to vacate the cabin and were unhurt. It appears that seven villagers were killed while approaching the aircraft that suffered several explosions. The exact cause of the in flight fire remains unknown.

Aircraft reference details include registration VT-CYK, MSN 3089, year of manufacture 1943.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 23.4604°, 91.1807°.