Tragedy to Identity: How a 1962 Air Crash Shaped a Remote Indian Village
Tucked inside the dense forested hills of Junnar taluka, about 125 kilometres from Pune, lies Talmachiwadi – a small hamlet in Nimgiri village where wide roads still don't exist, water supply remains a persistent problem, and mobile connectivity is an issue. For decades, the rest of the country barely knew this place existed.
But on the night of July 7, 1962, something happened on the slopes of Davandyachi Hill that would, over sixty years later, give this remote tribal settlement an unlikely identity – and a slow trickle of curious tourists.
That night, Alitalia Flight AZ-771 – a brand-new Douglas DC-8 jet travelling from Bangkok to Bombay – flew into the hill and killed all 94 people on board.
According to the report of the Court of Inquiry dated February 20, 1963, released by the Department of Communications and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transport and Communications, the aircraft departed Bangkok for Bombay on July 6 at 3:16 pm GMT, carrying 9 crew and 85 passengers. Everything about the departure appeared routine. The plane – registered and constructed only months earlier in 1962 – had logged just 964 hours and 34 minutes of flying time and held valid Certificates of Registration and Airworthiness.
The final minutes of the flight began to unravel after the aircraft requested clearance to descend over Aurangabad. At 6:20 pm, clearance was given to descend to Flight Level 200. At 6:24 pm, the aircraft reported leaving Flight Level 350. At 6:25 pm, it was cleared down to 4,000 feet. At 6:38 pm, controllers asked whether it intended to make a 360-degree turn over the outer marker beacon or come in straight. At 6:38:54 pm, the aircraft's reply was unclear. Finally, at 6:39 pm, the aircraft confirmed it would make a 360-degree turn for Runway 27. At 6:39:58 pm, the last words were: 'Roger, will do, Alitalia seven seven one.' Communication was lost, and search and rescue began. The wreckage was found on Davandyachi Hill.
The Court of Inquiry concluded that the pilot believed he was closer to Bombay than he actually was, and commenced his descent prematurely.
In Talmachiwadi, there are no official plaques or memorials, but the memory lives on. Waman Sable, 81, still has a piece of the aircraft's outer body propped against his home. He has been offered money for it but refuses to sell. 'Some tourists have asked and said they will pay lakhs of rupees for it. But I will not give this to anybody. It has become a rare possession, a memory of that event.'
The village school still uses an oxygen cylinder recovered from the crash as its school bell. Kisan Sable, another villager, points out that the ZP primary school in Talmachiwadi rungs it every morning. Sudam Sable, 76, from neighbouring Nimgiri village, remembers the aftermath: police and SRPF set up a base camp for nearly a month. 'The major challenge was connectivity and logistics. There were no mobile phones, no medical facilities, no means of transport. The hills were covered in dense fog. It took several weeks to investigate and clear the site.'
