BOAC Flight 783

British Overseas Airways Corporation

Industry	Airline
Founded	1939 (1939)
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Products	Air transport services

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence On 2 May 1953, BOAC Flight 783, a jetliner of the de Havilland Comet series bearing registration G-ALYV and operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation, disintegrated mid-flight and crashed shortly after departing from Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), India, due to encountering intense squall conditions. All 43 individuals aboard, comprising passengers and crew, perished in the accident.

Within less than a year following this tragedy, two additional fatal incidents involving Comet aircraft occurred—BOAC Flight 781 and South African Airways Flight 201—both attributed to structural failures. These events prompted the grounding of the entire Comet fleet until comprehensive modifications were implemented, culminating in the introduction of the Comet 2 variant.

History of the flight

Flight 783 commenced its journey from Singapore en route to London. After a scheduled layover at Calcutta's Dum Dum Airport (currently known as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport), the aircraft took off on its subsequent leg towards Delhi at 16:29 local time (10:59 GMT) on 2 May.

Approximately six minutes into the climb, as the plane ascended to an altitude of 7,500 feet (2,300 m), communication with air traffic control ceased. Concurrently, observers near Jagalgori village, situated about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Calcutta, witnessed the airplane descending engulfed in flames amid severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in the vicinity.

The remains of G-ALYV were discovered scattered along a debris field extending roughly 5 miles (8.0 km), with primary sections still ablaze. No survivors were found at the crash site.

Victims

Among the 43 individuals aboard were 6 crew members and 37 passengers. According to the official documentation, the passenger list comprised 31 British citizens, three Americans, two Burmese nationals, and one Filipino. The casualties included Australian politician Trevor Oldham and his spouse. The report identifies the Oldhams as holding British nationality.

Investigation

The investigation that followed concluded that the aircraft endured a "structural failure in flight which led to a fire" after passing through a squall. The failure was most likely caused by "overstressing resulting from either intense gusts experienced during the thundersquall or from pilot overcontrol or loss of control while navigating the thunderstorm."

Moreover, investigators suggested evaluating whether any structural modifications to the Comet aircraft might be necessary.

External links

• Accident report – Document authored by N.S. Lokur, republished in the UK by the Ministry of Civil Aviation