Indian Airlines Flight 491


Indian Airlines Flight 491 was a scheduled passenger flight on its connecting route from Delhi to Bombay, with stops en route at Jaipur, Udaipur, and Aurangabad.
On 26 April 1993, the heavily-laden aircraft started its takeoff roll from Aurangabad Airport's runway 09 in hot and humid temperatures. After lifting off almost at the end of the runway, it impacted a lorry on a highway at the end of the runway. The left main landing gear, left engine bottom cowling, and thrust reverser impacted the left side of the truck at about seven feet above road level. The aircraft then hit high tension electric wires northeast of the runway, and crashed into the ground.
The probable cause of the crash was "Pilots' error in initiating late rotation, and following wrong rotation technique" and "failure of the NAA to regulate the mobile traffic on the highway during the flight hours".
There was speculation that the truck was actually on the runway and not outside on the road, but was subsequently clarified in the Lok Sabha.

Statement by the minister of civil aviation and tourism in Lok Sabha on the next day