Air India Flight 245
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 November 1950 |
| Summary | Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) in poor weather |
| Site | Mont Blanc |
| Passengers | 40 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 48 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-749A Constellation |
| Operator | Air India |
| Registration | VT-CQP |
| Flight origin | Bombay |
| Stopover | Istanbul |
| 1st stopover | Geneva |
| Destination | London |
Air India Flight 245 was a scheduled Air India passenger flight that crashed into Mont Blanc, France, on 3 November 1950. On the morning of 3 November 1950, flown by the Lockheed L-749A Constellation Malabar Princess (registered VT-CQP), carried 40 passengers and 8 crew on the route Bombay-Istanbul-Geneva-London. Over France, it crashed into Mont Blanc, killing all on board.
The last transmission from the aircraft, received by controllers at Grenoble and Geneva, was "I am vertical with Voiron, at 4700 meters altitude." at 10:43 a.m.
The "Malabar Princess" hit the face of the Rochers de la Tournette 4,677 m (15,344 ft) on the French side of Mont Blanc. Stormy weather prevented immediate rescue efforts; debris was located by a Swiss plane on 5 November, rescue parties reached it another two days later. There were no survivors.
Sixteen years later, Air India Flight 101 crashed in almost exactly the same spot. In September 2013, a climber discovered a cache of jewellery that is speculated to have been aboard one of these two flights.
Coordinates: 45°49′59″N 6°51′35″E / 45.83306°N 6.85972°E
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Wikipedia