1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision
aviation accident
On 12 November 1996, Saudia Flight 763, a Boeing 747-100 en route from Delhi, India, to Jeddah, with a stopover in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76 en route from Shymkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, collided over the city of Charkhi Dadri, around 100 kilometres (62 mi; 54 nmi) west of Delhi. The crash killed all 349 people on board both planes, making it the world's deadliest mid-air collision, the deadliest aviation accident without survivors, and the deadliest aviation accident ever in India.
The final report from the investigation revealed that the Kazakh crew's failure to maintain the correct altitude led to the collision. Contributing factors included the poor English language skills in the Kazakh cockpit, resulting in inadequate interpretation of directions provided by air traffic control, and three specific incidents of failures in crew resource management (CRM) by the Kazakh crew. The investigators noted the Indian airport lacked a secondary surveillance radar; the airport only had a primary radar, which produced readings of distance and bearing, but not altitude. The report also suggested technical enhancements (including ACAS and SSR) that would provide assistance in preventing a future crew's mistakes from being allowed to go unchecked in real time.
Aircraft involved
Saudia Flight 763
Saudia Flight 763 was a Boeing 747-168B, registration HZ-AIH, departing from Delhi as part of a scheduled international Delhi–Dhahran–Jeddah passenger service with 312 people on board. The crew on this flight consisted of Captain Khalid al-Shubaily (aged 45), First Officer Nazir Khan (aged 37), and Flight Engineer Ahmed Edrees (aged 33). Al-Shubaily was a veteran pilot with 9,837 flying hours. Twelve of the crew members, including five anti-terrorism officials, were Saudi Arabian citizens.
The public source identifies “1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision” as aviation accident. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Charkhi, Dadri and mid-air.
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