Air India Flight 171 Crash – A Tragic Chapter in Aviation History
📅 Date: June 24, 1966
✈️ Flight: Air India Flight 171
📍 Crash Site: Mont Blanc, France
🧍♂️ Deaths: 117 (all passengers and crew)
🇮🇳 Aircraft: Boeing 707-437
🛫 Operator: Air India
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🕊️ What Happened?
Air India Flight 171 was flying from Mumbai to New York, with stopovers in Beirut and Geneva. On its leg from Beirut to Geneva on June 24, 1966, the aircraft crashed into Mont Blanc, a snow-covered mountain in southeastern France.
While descending towards Geneva Airport, the aircraft struck the mountain at high altitude due to pilot misjudgment and poor visibility. Tragically, all 117 lives were lost.
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🔍 Investigation Summary
The pilot miscalculated the plane’s position.
Low visibility and cloud cover in the mountainous region made it impossible to spot the mountain in time.
Miscommunication occurred between the crew and Geneva ATC.
The plane lacked a flight recorder (black box), which made the investigation more difficult.
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🧠 Dr. Homi Bhabha's Death
Among the passengers was Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, a renowned Indian nuclear physicist and a national icon. He was the father of India’s nuclear program, and his death marked a massive loss to India's scientific journey.
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🕵️♂️ Conspiracy Theories?
Due to Dr. Bhabha’s influence and importance, many conspiracy theories have been proposed suggesting the crash was orchestrated. However, no conclusive proof has ever supported such claims. The official cause remains navigational error in poor weather conditions.
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🏔️ Legacy & Memorial
The crash site on Mont Blanc remains a tragic reminder of the disaster. Over time, wreckage and personal belongings have surfaced from melting glaciers. A memorial has been set up in honor of the victims.
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🧾 Conclusion
The Air India Flight 171 crash stands as a devastating example of how human error and natural conditions can lead to aviation disasters. It also marked the untimely loss of one of India’s brightest scientific minds.
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