page_title: Air India Flight 182
section_title: Investigations
hierarchical_section_title: Air India Flight 182 / Investigations
caption_attribution_description: English: This plaque is dedicated to the citizens of Bantry, Ireland for their contributions to the victims of the Air India Flight 182 disaster. Français&#160;: Cette plaque est dédiée aux citoyens de Bantry, en Irlande, pour leur aide aux victimes de la catastrophe aérienne du vol Air India 182.
context_page_description: Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985 it was operated using Boeing 747-237B registered VT-EFO. It disintegrated in midair en route from Montreal to London, at an altitude of 31,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of the explosion from a bomb planted by Khalistani Canadians, Sikh terrorists. The remnants of the airliner fell into the ocean approximately 120 miles west-southwest of the southwest tip of Ireland, killing all aboard: 329 people, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 is the largest mass killing in Canadian history, the deadliest aviation accident in the history of Air India and was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the September 11 attacks in 2001. The Babbar Khalsa terror group was implicated in the bombings.
  The bombing of this flight coincided with the Narita Airport bombing. Investigators believe the two plots were linked, and that those responsible were aiming for a double aircraft bombing. However, the bomb at Narita exploded before it could be loaded onto the plane.
context_section_description: Within hours, Canada's Indian community was a focus of attention as victims and among hints that officials were investigating connections to the Sikh separatists who had threatened and committed acts of violence in retaliation against Hindus. In the subsequent worldwide investigations over six years, many threads of the plot were uncovered. Based on recovery of wreckage and bodies from the surface, it was decided to retrieve wreckage and recorders from the bottom of the sea. That voice and flight recorders were cut out at the same time, and damage to parts recovered from the forward cargo bay consistent with a blast, established that it was probably a bomb near the forward cargo hold that brought the plane down suddenly. The flight was also soon linked to the earlier bombing in Japan which had also originated from Vancouver; tickets for both flights had been purchased by the same person, and in both cases the planes were carrying bags without the passenger who checked them in.
  One of the problems the investigators thought may have been the reason of the supposed crash was that the aircraft was carrying a spare engine. Therefore, there would have been more weight on one side. This reason was ruled out as the flight recorders relayed information of the rudder position which assists in the carrying of a 5th engine. Carrying a 5th engine helped airlines carry broken engines back to be maintained.
  No bomb parts were recovered from the ocean, but investigations of the blast at Tokyo established that the bomb had been placed in a Sanyo stereo tuner of a series that had been shipped to Vancouver in Canada. The RCMP assigned no less than 135 officers to check every store that could have sold Sanyo tuners, leading to the discovery of a recent sale to mechanic Inderjit Singh Reyat in his hometown of Duncan, British Columbia. RCMP contacted the CSIS and found they were already investigating the Sikh activists; RCMP learned that CSIS already had wiretaps and had observed Reyat and Parmar at the test blast near Duncan, and had recovered blasting cap shunts and a paper bundle wrapper from a blasting cap. A search recovered the receipt for a Sanyo Tuner Model FMT-611K with invoice with his name and phone number, along with sales of other bomb components. It was not until January 1986 that Canadian investigators at the Canadian Aviation Safety Board concluded that a bomb explosion in the forward cargo hold had downed the airliner. On 26 February 1986, Supreme Court Judge Kirpal of India presented an inquiry report based on investigation conducted by H.S. Khola (the "Khola Report"). The report also concluded that a bomb originating in Canada brought down the Air India flight.
  Based on observations, wiretaps, searches and arrests of persons believed to be participants, the bombing was determined to be the joint project of at least two Sikh terrorist groups with extensive membership in Canada, the United States, Britain and India. Their anger had been sparked by the June 1984 assault on the Golden Temple by the Government of India.
caption: A commemorative plaque presented to the citizens of Bantry, Ireland, by the government of Canada for the residents' kindness and compassion to the families of the victims of Air India Flight 182
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