Darbhanga Aviations

Darbhanga Aviations was a private Indian airline started by Maharaja Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. Darbhanga Aviations was started in 1950 and became defunct by 1962.^[1]

History

After World War - II, many military planes had become surplus and were sold at cheap price. Darbhanga Aviation was started with four Douglas DC-3 aircraft (2 No.s of C-47A-DL and 1 No. of C-47A-DK), purchased from the U.S. Air Force.

Incidents and Accidents

One of these planes (Registration - VT-DEM) got destroyed in an accident near Calcutta on 01-03-1954. This plane was on Scheduled Domestic Service out of Calcutta, India, when it crashed on takeoff from Calcutta. The No.1 engine of the DC-3 caught fire immediately after takeoff from Calcutta runway 19R. The aircraft failed to gain height, stalled and crashed into trees, 3330 feet past the runway end. 2 of the 8 passengers, and all 3 crew members aboard the DC3 were killed in the crash. The 6 surviving passengers were all critically injured. Although the engine fire was the primary cause of the crash, the pilot was also cited for a delay in feathering the engine, and the extreme nose up altitude of the plane during takeoff. Both of those factors contributed to the downing of the plane.^[2]

Another plane bearing registration No. VT-AYG crashed on 24 MAY 1962 near Rajshahi in Bangladesh. The cause of crash has been attributed to fatigue failure of the no. 1 engine forcing the crew of the DC-3 to continue on a single engine (no. 2). After a while the remaining engine lost power due to overheating resulting in crash of the aircraft.^[3]

The third aircraft (registration No. VT-DEM) was taken over by Indian Air Force. ^[4]

References

1. ^ http://www.airlinehistory.co.uk/RestofWorld/India/Airlines.asp
2. ^ AeroTransport Data Bank
3. ^ Darbhanga Aviation (ATDB)
4. ^ SHARPISHMIKE: AVIATION HISTORY/ 4-30-54