Bombay – Cairo – Geneva – London

On November 3, 1950 at 10:43 AM, Bombay – Cairo – Geneva – London experienced a crash involving Lockheed L-749 Constellation, operated by Air India, with the event recorded near Mont-Blanc Haute-Savoie.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

48 people were known to be on board, 48 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 8, passengers on board: 40, passenger fatalities: 40, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The four engine aircraft christened 'Malabar Princess' left Cairo-Almaza Airport at 0209LT on a direct flight to Geneva, completing an international service from Bombay to London, carrying 40 passengers and a crew of 8. All passengers were Indian and Pakistani marines who were joining their boat based in the harbor of Newcastle upon Tyne. About 20 minutes before its estimated time of arrival in Geneva-Cointrin Airport, while cruising at an altitude of 15,500 feet, the crew informed ATC that he was flying over Grenoble. The radio officer at Geneva Airport misbelieved this position and asked the crew to switch on 333 kHz for a direction finding check. The crew never contacted this frequency and the aircraft disappeared shortly later. As the airplane failed to arrive at Geneva Airport, SAR operations were conducted by the French, Swiss and Italian Authorities. The wreckage was found two days later, Sunday November 5, at an altitude of 4,671 meters, on the Rocher de la Tournette, about 300 meters from the Vallot Refuge. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 48 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration VT-CQP, MSN 2506, year of manufacture 1947.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 45.7962°, 5.9703°.