On 12 November 1996, Saudia Flight 763, a Boeing 747-100 en route from Delhi, India, to Jeddah, with a stopover in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76 en route from Shymkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, collided over the city of Charkhi Dadri, around 100 kilometres (62 mi; 54 nmi) west of Delhi. The crash killed all 349 people on board both planes, making it the world's deadliest mid-air collision, the deadliest aviation accident without survivors, and the deadliest aviation accident ever in India.
The final report from the investigation revealed that the Kazakh crew's failure to maintain the correct altitude led to the collision. Contributing factors included the poor English language skills in the Kazakh cockpit, resulting in inadequate interpretation of directions provided by air traffic control, and three specific incidents of failures in crew resource management (CRM) by the Kazakh crew. The investigators noted the Indian airport lacked a secondary surveillance radar; the airport only had a primary radar, which produced readings of distance and bearing, but not altitude. The report also suggested technical enhancements (including ACAS and SSR) that would provide assistance in preventing a future crew's mistakes from being allowed to go unchecked in real time.
Why this event still matters
Historical incidents shape the rules that protect people today — building codes, evacuation policy, warning systems and inspection regimes almost always trace back to a specific disaster. Studying Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision alongside current events is how preparedness improves.
See what is happening right now on the live world incident map, browse every plane crashes we track on the Air Crash tracker, or follow live incidents in India.