Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad triggers memories of Indian celebrities killed in air disasters

In the wake of Ahmedabad Air India flight tragedy, we look at Indian leaders, scientists, and public figures who lost their lives in plane or helicopter crashes — from Homi Bhabha and Sanjay Gandhi to YS Rajasekhara Reddy and CDS Bipin Rawat.

Bengaluru: The recent tragedy in Ahmedabad — where a London-bound Air India flight crashed shortly after takeoff, claiming hundreds of lives and leaving a nation stunned — is a stark reminder of how aviation disasters can strike without warning. As investigators search for answers, the heartbreak echoes beyond the wreckage, stirring memories of similar tragedies in India’s past. Here is a list of prominent people who have died in similar tragedies:

Homi Bhabha

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the father of India’s nuclear programme, died tragically in an air crash on January 24, 1966. Bhabha was aboard Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707 named Kanchenjunga, flying from Mumbai to New York via Geneva. While approaching Mont Blanc, a mountain in the French Alps, the aircraft crashed into the massif at an altitude of around 15,000 feet, killing all 117 people on board — including Bhabha. The official cause was cited as pilot error. The aircraft reportedly descended too early during its approach to Geneva Airport, under the assumption that it had already cleared Mont Blanc.

Sanjay Gandhi

Sanjay Gandhi, the son of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, died in a tragic plane crash on June 23, 1980, at the age of 33. A trained pilot and aviation enthusiast, Sanjay was flying a Pitts S-2A aircraft from Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport early that morning when he attempted a series of aerobatic maneuvers at low altitude. The aircraft lost control and crashed into the Sanjay Colony area near the airport. He was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered fatal head injuries on impact, while his co-pilot, Captain Subhash Saxena, also died shortly after.

Madhavrao Scindia

Madhavrao Scindia, a senior Congress leader and scion of the Gwalior royal family, died in a tragic plane crash on September 30, 2001, while en route to address a political rally in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The 56-year-old parliamentarian was aboard a Cessna C-90 twin-engine aircraft when it went down near Motta village in the Mainpuri district due to poor visibility and suspected technical failure. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff from Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport. All eight people on board, including journalists and political aides, perished in the crash. Scindia, who had served in multiple Union ministries—including Railways, Civil Aviation, and Human Resource Development—was widely seen as a future contender for prime ministerial leadership.

YS Rajasekhara Reddy

YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, died in a tragic helicopter crash on September 3, 2009, when his Bell 430 chopper went down in the dense Nallamala forest region. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control just 40 minutes after taking off from Hyderabad en route to Chittoor. After an intense 24-hour search operation involving the Air Force, Army, and state police, the wreckage was discovered on a remote hillside. All five people on board, including YSR, his principal secretary, security personnel, and the two pilots, were killed.

GMC Balayogi

GMC Balayogi, first Dalit Speaker of Lok Sabha and a prominent leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), died in a fatal helicopter crash on March 3, 2002, in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. He was returning from his hometown of Amalapuram after attending a religious function when his Bell 206 helicopter crashed near Kaikalur village around 9:30 AM. The crash occurred in a marshy area, and initial reports indicated poor visibility due to fog and possible mechanical failure as contributing factors. All three people on board — Balayogi, the pilot, and a security officer — died on the spot.

Dorjee Khandu

Dorjee Khandu, the then Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, died in a tragic helicopter crash on April 30, 2011, when the Pawan Hans AS350 B3 chopper he was travelling in went missing shortly after takeoff. Khandu, along with four others, was flying from Tawang to Itanagar—a route known for its difficult terrain and unpredictable weather. The helicopter lost contact with air traffic control just 20 minutes into the flight, triggering a massive multi-agency search operation involving the Indian Army, Air Force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and local volunteers. After five tense days, the wreckage was discovered near Lobotang, close to Sela Pass, at an altitude of around 13,500 feet. All on board had died on the impact.

Mohan Kumaramangalam

On May 31, 1973, S. Mohan Kumaramangalam, then serving as Union Minister of Steel and Mines under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was among the 48 passengers killed when Indian Airlines Flight 440, a Boeing 737–200 named Saranga, crashed during its approach to Delhi’s Palam Airport. The flight had departed from Madras (now Chennai) but, facing blowing dust and a rainstorm, descended below safe altitude, struck high-tension wires, and crashed into the terrain. Investigations cited crew error —descending below the minimum decision height amid poor visibility—as the primary cause for the tragedy. The crash also claimed several other notable leaders, including CPI leader K Baladhandayutham and Congress leader Devaki Gopidas.

OP Jindal and Surender Singh

Om Prakash Jindal, the 74‑year‑old industrialist turned Haryana Power Minister, was among four people killed when his helicopter crashed on March 31, 2005, near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He was travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi in Jindal’s brand‑new Eurocopter Colibri (an EC120). The helicopter, which took off around 11:32 AM, reported its position near Sarsawa air traffic control at 12:17 PM before heading toward Saharanpur. Haryana Agriculture Minister Surender Singh was also travelling with him. Eyewitnesses noticed the aircraft catch fire and plunge into wheat fields in the village of Berkheri Dera (Menghi) approximately 40 km from Yamunanagar.

Soundarya

KS Sowmya, better known by her screen name Soundarya, was a beloved Indian actress and producer who tragically died in a helicopter crash on April 17, 2004, near Bengaluru, Karnataka. Soundarya was campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2004 general elections. On the morning of April 17, 2004, she boarded a Cessna 180 four-seater aircraft from Jakkur Aerodrome in Bangalore along with her brother Amarnath and two pilots. The aircraft was headed to Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh for an election event. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed and exploded in flames in an open field near Gundatti village due to technical failure.

Bipin Rawat

On December 8, 2021, India’s first-ever Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, along with his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other military personnel, lost their lives in a tragic crash when their IAF Mi‑17V‑5 helicopter went down near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. The chopper had taken off from Sulur Air Force Station at around 11:48 a.m., heading to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, and lost contact with ground control shortly before 12:08 p.m., just minutes shy of its scheduled 12:15 p.m. landing.