Air India Flight 855
VT-EBD, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1977 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 January 1978 |
| Summary | Loss of control at night following pilot error, and spatial disorientation due to instrument malfunction |
| Site | Arabian Sea, 3 km (1.9 mls) west of Santacruz Airport, Bombay, India. 18°58′30″N 72°09′33″E / 18.975°N 72.1592°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-237B |
| Aircraft name | Emperor Ashoka |
| Operator | Air India |
| IATA flight No. | AI855 |
| ICAO flight No. | AIC855 |
| Call sign | AIRINDIA 855 |
| Registration | VT-EBD |
| Flight origin | Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport/Santacruz Airport, Bombay, India |
| Destination | Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Occupants | 213 |
| Passengers | 190 |
| Crew | 23 |
| Fatalities | 213 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed into the Arabian Sea about 3 km (1.9 mi; 1.6 nmi) off the coast of Bandra, less than two minutes after take-off, killing all 213 passengers and crew on board. An investigation into the crash determined the most likely probable cause was the captain becoming spatially disoriented and losing control of the aircraft after the failure of one of the flight instruments. It was Air India's deadliest air disaster until Flight 182 in 1985 and was the deadliest airliner accident in Indian history until Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996. It is currently at third for both categories after being surpassed by Air India Flight 171 in 2025.