49 Years ago today: On 9 December 1971 an Indian Airlines HAL-748 crashed at Chinnamanur, killing 21 out of 31 occupants (1st HAL-748 write-off).

Date:Thursday 9 December 1971
Time:12:25
Type:Silhouette image of generic A748 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. HAL-748-224 Srs. 2
Operator:Indian Airlines
Registration:VT-DXG
C/n / msn:512
First flight:1968-01-02 (3 years 11 months)
Crew:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 17 / Occupants: 27
Total:Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 31
Aircraft damage:Destroyed
Aircraft fate:Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:near Cumbum (   India)
Crash site elevation:1585 m (5200 feet) amsl
Phase:En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Trivandrum Airport (TRV/VOTV), India
Destination airport:Madurai Airport (IXM/VOMD), India

Narrative:
The aircraft strayed off course and collided with a hill in the Meghamalai hills, at an altitude of 5200 feet, 29 miles left off its desired track.