BOAC Flight 783
G-ALYV, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 May 1953 |
| Summary | Crashed following structural failure in severe turbulence |
| Site | Jagalgori, near Calcutta, India 22°47′19″N 88°04′55″E / 22.788577°N 88.082081°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland DH.106 Comet |
| Operator | British Overseas Airways Corporation |
| Call sign | SPEEDBIRD 783 |
| Registration | G-ALYV |
| Flight origin | Kallang Airport, Singapore |
| 1st stopover | Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta, India |
| 2nd stopover | Safdarjung Airport, India |
| Destination | London, England |
| Occupants | 43 |
| Passengers | 37 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 43 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 2 May 1953, BOAC Flight 783, a de Havilland Comet jetliner registered G-ALYV and operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation, broke up mid-air and crashed after encountering a severe squall, shortly after taking off from Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. All 43 passengers and crew on board were killed.
The crash was followed in less than a year by two more fatal accidents involving structural failure of Comet aircraft: BOAC Flight 781 and South African Airways Flight 201, after which the entire fleet was grounded until extensive redesign of the type was carried out, leading to the development of the Comet 2 version.