Investigation Summary
The accident occurred during the sixth touch-and-go landing of a training session. The flight crew consisted of an instructor and three trainee pilots. During the climb-out from Runway 28, the instructor simulated a failure of the left engine to test the trainee's response. The trainee pilot inadvertently applied the wrong rudder input, which exacerbated the yaw rather than correcting it. This led to an uncontrollable roll at an altitude of approximately 400 to 500 feet. The instructor, who was performing his first flight in an instructional capacity, failed to block the incorrect rudder movement or intervene in time to recover the aircraft. The Boeing 737 struck the ground and slid into Bay No. 45, where the Aeroflot Il-86 was undergoing repairs. The Il-86 was fully fueled, leading to a massive post-impact fire that consumed both airframes and damaged airport infrastructure, including two air bridges.
Final Conclusions
The official investigation conducted by the Court of Inquiry (CoI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India concluded that the primary cause was the trainee pilot's application of incorrect rudder during a simulated engine-out maneuver. Contributing factors included the flight instructor's failure to guard the controls and his lack of clear commands to correct the trainee's error. The low altitude at which the maneuver was performed left no margin for recovery once the upset occurred.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Sahara India Airlines S2-117 — Boeing 737-2R4C · VT-SIA
Aeroflot SU558 — Ilyushin Il-86 · RA-86119
Systems & Failure Modes
Rudder
The primary control surface for managing yaw; incorrect application during the engine-out simulation caused the fatal loss of control.
Flight Controls
Mechanical and hydraulic systems that translate pilot inputs to control surfaces; the instructor failed to physically guard these to prevent trainee error.
Interesting Facts
- 01The instructor pilot was conducting his very first flight as a flight instructor.
- 02The Aeroflot Il-86 was at the airport for an unscheduled layover to undergo repairs.
- 03The accident occurred in clear weather conditions during daylight hours.
- 04One ground fatality was an employee of Bharat Petroleum, the airport's fuel supplier.
- 05The Boeing 737-200 involved was originally delivered to Hapag-Lloyd in 1979 and later operated by Busy Bee before being sold to Sahara India Airlines.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Training Protocol Revision
Recommendations were issued to ensure simulated engine failures are conducted at safer altitudes and that instructors maintain a higher state of readiness to intervene.