Air India Flight 245
VT-CQP, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 1949  | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 November 1950 | 
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain in poor weather | 
| Site | Mont Blanc, France | 
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-749A Constellation | 
| Aircraft name | Malabar Princess | 
| Operator | Air India | 
| IATA flight No. | AI245 | 
| ICAO flight No. | AIC245 | 
| Call sign | AIRINDIA 245 | 
| Registration | VT-CQP | 
| Flight origin | Sahar International Airport, Bombay, India | 
| 1st stopover | Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt | 
| 2nd stopover | Cointrin Airport, Geneva, Switzerland | 
| Destination | London Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom | 
| Occupants | 48 | 
| Passengers | 40 | 
| Crew | 8 | 
| Fatalities | 48 | 
| Survivors | 0 | 
Air India Flight 245 was a scheduled Air India passenger flight from Bombay to London via Cairo and Geneva. On the morning of 3 November 1950, the Lockheed L-749A Constellation serving the flight crashed into Mont Blanc, France, while approaching Geneva. All 48 aboard were killed.
The plane operating the flight was named Malabar Princess, registered as VT-CQP. It was piloted by Captain Alan R. Saint, 34, and co-pilot V. Y. Korgaokar and was carrying 40 passengers and 8 crew. Flight Navigator on board was a young gentleman named Mr. Raghuram Iyengar, a resident of Matunga, Mumbai. While over France, descending towards Geneva Airport, the flight crashed into the French Alps in stormy weather, killing all on board.