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: | 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 ( |
| 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.
