HT This Day: April 29, 1935 -- Horrific plane crash at Dum Dum in Calcutta
The victims were Mr. B. K. Das, who was flying his own machine, Mr. D. K. Roy, who was piloting a Bengal Flying Club machine and two joyriders Miss Ferguson and Mr. P. Gupta who was from Sylhet
Calcutta: The worst flying disaster witnessed at Dum Dum occurred this morning when four persons were killed as a result of a collision of two aeroplanes over the aerodrome.
The victims were Mr. B. K. Das, who was flying his own machine, Mr. D. K. Roy, who was piloting a Bengal Flying Club machine and two joyriders Miss Ferguson and Mr. P. Gupta who was from Sylhet.
The ‘planes fell into a garden near the aerodrome and were completely wrecked.
Mr. Das was one of the senior pilots of the Bengal Flying Club and Mr. Roy had recently obtained “B” flying license from England. -A.P.I.
Further details
It transpires that Mr. Das’s passenger was Miss Muriel Ferguson (22) from Middlesborough, Yorkshire, England. Mr. Das and Ferguson were both strapped in the machine and at the time of writing their bodies have not yet been extricated. It is believed that the other pilot. Mr. Roy and his passenger Mr. Gupta, jumped from the plane after the collision, which occurred about 500 feet above the ground. Their bodies were found about 50 yards from the wrecked machines.
The machines used were both Gypsy Moth. The crash occurred in village Gouripur, two miles north of the aerodrome. The officials of the Flying Club immediately visited the place ad had the bodies removed. The body of Miss Ferguson was sent to the Presidency General Hospital, and those of Mr. Das, Mr. Roy and Mr. P. Gupta, were made over to their relatives in Calcutta for cremation.
This is described as the worst aircrash on record of India.
