As India reels from the tragic crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad, memories of one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the city’s history — the 1988 Indian Airlines crash — have resurfaced. The October 19 tragedy, which killed 133 of the 135 people on board, remains a haunting chapter in the nation’s civil aviation timeline.
Indian Airlines Flight 113, a Boeing 737-200, was operating a scheduled service from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Ahmedabad. The aircraft, registered VT-EAH, took off from Bombay-Sahar International Airport at 6:05 a.m., around 20 minutes behind schedule. Captain O.M. Dallaya and First Officer Deepak Nagpal were at the controls.
As the aircraft neared Ahmedabad, poor visibility — which had dropped to as low as 1.2 miles due to haze — prompted the crew to opt for a localiser-DME approach to runway 23. At 6:41 a.m., they reported overhead Ahmedabad VOR, confirming descent instructions received earlier. That would be their last radio communication.
Moments Before Impact
By 6:53 a.m., the flight had tragically ended in disaster. The aircraft struck trees and an electricity pylon near Chiloda Kotarpur, approximately 2.5 kilometers from the runway. It crashed into a paddy field and burst into flames, destroying the plane and killing 133 passengers and crew members. Only two individuals — Ashok Agarwal, a textile businessman, and Gujarat Vidyapith Vice-Chancellor Vinod Tripathi — survived with severe injuries.
The cockpit voice recorder revealed that the pilots were attempting to visually locate the runway despite the poor weather and failed to monitor the aircraft's altitude. They did not request landing clearance or make required altitude callouts, suggesting they had lost situational awareness in the critical final moments.
The Investigation and Accountability
The official inquiry concluded that the crash resulted from pilot error under poor visibility. Both the captain and co-pilot were found to have deviated from standard approach procedures. The report also pointed to contributing factors, such as inadequate communication from air traffic control regarding the deteriorating visibility and failure to provide updated Runway Visual Range (RVR) measurements.
Further scrutiny by the Justice Mathur Commission found composite negligence between Indian Airlines and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Survivors and families of victims pursued legal action, leading to a civil court ruling in 2003 that awarded compensation with interest. The Gujarat High Court later increased the interest rate and held Indian Airlines responsible for 90% of the compensation, leaving 10% to the AAI.
Ashok Agarwal, one of the only two survivors, lost his wife and infant daughter in the crash. After years of battling trauma and memory loss, he led a reclusive life. In 2020, he was found dead in his Ahmedabad apartment. Police ruled his death as accidental, most likely due to cardiac arrest.
Echoes of a Past Tragedy Amid a New Crisis
The 1988 crash cast a long shadow over Indian aviation, prompting calls for stricter adherence to safety protocols and procedural reforms. With the recent Air India Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025 — which bears eerie similarities in its fatal turn moments after takeoff — the legacy of Flight 113 is again in focus.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 individuals, including 12 crew members, crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities confirmed that the aircraft struck a doctor's hostel situated just outside the airport's boundary. Ahmedabad Joint Police Commissioner Jaipal Singh Rathore stated that preliminary investigations revealed the aircraft collided with the building shortly after takeoff.
In response, the Gujarat government dispatched three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, consisting of 90 personnel from Gandhinagar, to support the rescue mission at the crash site.
Additionally, Western Railway has arranged special train services from Ahmedabad to facilitate transportation needs following the incident.
Indian Airlines Flight 113, a Boeing 737-200, was operating a scheduled service from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Ahmedabad. The aircraft, registered VT-EAH, took off from Bombay-Sahar International Airport at 6:05 a.m., around 20 minutes behind schedule. Captain O.M. Dallaya and First Officer Deepak Nagpal were at the controls.
As the aircraft neared Ahmedabad, poor visibility — which had dropped to as low as 1.2 miles due to haze — prompted the crew to opt for a localiser-DME approach to runway 23. At 6:41 a.m., they reported overhead Ahmedabad VOR, confirming descent instructions received earlier. That would be their last radio communication.
Moments Before Impact
By 6:53 a.m., the flight had tragically ended in disaster. The aircraft struck trees and an electricity pylon near Chiloda Kotarpur, approximately 2.5 kilometers from the runway. It crashed into a paddy field and burst into flames, destroying the plane and killing 133 passengers and crew members. Only two individuals — Ashok Agarwal, a textile businessman, and Gujarat Vidyapith Vice-Chancellor Vinod Tripathi — survived with severe injuries.The cockpit voice recorder revealed that the pilots were attempting to visually locate the runway despite the poor weather and failed to monitor the aircraft's altitude. They did not request landing clearance or make required altitude callouts, suggesting they had lost situational awareness in the critical final moments.
The Investigation and Accountability
The official inquiry concluded that the crash resulted from pilot error under poor visibility. Both the captain and co-pilot were found to have deviated from standard approach procedures. The report also pointed to contributing factors, such as inadequate communication from air traffic control regarding the deteriorating visibility and failure to provide updated Runway Visual Range (RVR) measurements.Further scrutiny by the Justice Mathur Commission found composite negligence between Indian Airlines and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Survivors and families of victims pursued legal action, leading to a civil court ruling in 2003 that awarded compensation with interest. The Gujarat High Court later increased the interest rate and held Indian Airlines responsible for 90% of the compensation, leaving 10% to the AAI.
Ashok Agarwal, one of the only two survivors, lost his wife and infant daughter in the crash. After years of battling trauma and memory loss, he led a reclusive life. In 2020, he was found dead in his Ahmedabad apartment. Police ruled his death as accidental, most likely due to cardiac arrest.
Echoes of a Past Tragedy Amid a New Crisis
The 1988 crash cast a long shadow over Indian aviation, prompting calls for stricter adherence to safety protocols and procedural reforms. With the recent Air India Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025 — which bears eerie similarities in its fatal turn moments after takeoff — the legacy of Flight 113 is again in focus. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 individuals, including 12 crew members, crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities confirmed that the aircraft struck a doctor's hostel situated just outside the airport's boundary. Ahmedabad Joint Police Commissioner Jaipal Singh Rathore stated that preliminary investigations revealed the aircraft collided with the building shortly after takeoff.
In response, the Gujarat government dispatched three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, consisting of 90 personnel from Gandhinagar, to support the rescue mission at the crash site.
Additionally, Western Railway has arranged special train services from Ahmedabad to facilitate transportation needs following the incident.
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