| 2015 Indian Border Security Force King Air crash | |
| Image Upright: | 1.1 |
| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| Summary: | Pilot error leading to spatial disorientation and loss of control |
| Site: | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India |
| Total Fatalities: | 10 |
| Total Injuries: | 1 |
| Ground Injuries: | 1 |
| Aircraft Type: | Beechcraft Super King Air 200 |
| Operator: | Border Security Force |
| Tail Number: | VT-BSA |
| Origin: | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India |
| Destination: | Ranchi Airport, Ranchi, India |
| Occupants: | 10 |
| Passengers: | 8 |
| Crew: | 2 |
| Fatalities: | 10 |
| Survivors: | 0 |
On 22 December 2015, a light aircraft of the Indian Border Security Force crashed within the grounds of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India. Ten personnel of the Border Security Force, three officers and seven senior technicians, were killed.[1] The 22-year-old Beechcraft B200 King Air took off for Ranchi just before 9.30am, before crashing shortly afterwards.[2] The accident was due to pilot error who incorrectly activated the autopilot and failed to take corrective action.
The aircraft involved in the accident was a 22-year-old Beechcraft B200 King Air, built in July 1994 with the construction number BB-1485. It was powered by two turboprop Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42 engines, registered with the callsign N1509X.[3] It was delivered to Rageflyers Inc. on 15 May 1995. The aircraft was ultimately sold to the Indian Border Security Force on 3 August 1995.[4]
The captain was 38-year-old Commandant Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt, the pilot flying. He had logged a total of 964,50 flight hours including 764 on the Beechcraft B200 King Air, of which 77 hours were as pilot in command. The co-pilot was 38-year-old Commandant Rajesh Shivrain who was the Pilot monitoring (PM). He had logged a total of 891 flight hours including 691 on the same model, of which 196,35 were as pilot in command.[5]
After the aircraft's engines were started the crew reported that there was a problem (the nature of which has not been reported), but continued with the flight after receiving advice from ground staff. The aircraft took off at 9:27am local time with an expected arrival time at Ranchi of 12:00pm.
Soon after taking off, the crew informed air traffic control that something was wrong and that they would return to Delhi. The pilots were then cleared to make an emergency landing on Delhi's Runway 28. At 9:40 AM, contact was lost with the aircraft. The plane then veered to the left, narrowly missing a village. It brushed a tree before hitting the perimeter wall of the airport and crashed into a sewage treatment plant within the airport complex. The aircraft then caught fire and was destroyed. All ten occupants were killed and another on the ground was injured.[6]
In addition to the two pilots, there were 8 other occupants, all of whom died in the crash. Seven bodies were found in a water tank while the remaining 3 were found outside. All the occupants were Indian and were paramilitary technicians on their way to Ranchi.[7]
On 15 August 2017, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its final report, stating that the probable cause of the incident was pilot error. It was found that the autopilot was activated without a heading selected immediately after takeoff. The plane then banked to the left and the pilots did not take any corrective action. The plane then made a 180° turn, entering a sharp left bank that resulted in an impact with the ground.[8]