On October 24, 1965, Air India Flight 171 crashed near Mont Blanc in France . All 48 people on board were killed. The aircraft, a Boeing 707 named Kanchenjung , was en route from Bombay (now Mumbai) to London via Beirut and Geneva. But what should have been a routine stopover turned into one of the most terrifying and previously unexplained disasters in aviation history.
The last moments
As the aircraft approached Geneva, air traffic control instructed the pilot to begin descending. However, the aircraft veered off course and headed straight for the Mont Blanc Massif. Eyewitnesses reported a strange sound , reminiscent of a dull thud or metallic crack, shortly before the aircraft disappeared from radar.
Investigators reveal disturbing information
Initial studies indicated a misunderstanding in navigation there. The pilots were allegedly sent by outdated weather and route information, and some suspected that the altitude settings were possibly wrong, so the crew believed they were flying higher than they actually were.
But the mystery deepened with two terrifying details:
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The noise : Several residents in the area reported hearing a strange sound shortly before the impact – not the typical roar of a jet engine or an explosion, but something unfamiliar and mechanical.
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Chance : In an almost incredible twist, 16 years earlier, in 1950, another Air India flight crashed into Mont Blanc. All 48 passengers were killed—including Homi J. Bhabha , India’s top nuclear scientist. The eerie similarities between the two crashes still give rise to conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy theories and unanswered questions
Some suspect that Flight 171 was sabotaged , possibly to impede Indian scientific progress or political issues. The sudden loss of radio contact, the bizarre sound, and the mysterious location have fueled decades of speculation. Others suspect a possible mechanical failure or instrument malfunction during the flight , although a clear cause has never been determined.
The legacy
To this day, the crash of Air India Flight 171 remains one of aviation’s greatest unsolved tragedies. The combination of human error, outdated technology and mysterious final moments continues to intrigue victims’ families and aviation historians.
Was it a tragic accident – or were you more behind it? The strange noise before the impact may never be fully explained, but its echo still echoes over the snow-capped peaks of Mont Blanc.
