On 14 June 1972 the Douglas DC-8-53 operating the flight, registered JA8012, crashed short of the New Delhi airport, killing 86 of the 89 occupants: 10 of 11 crew members, and 76 of 78 passengers.

One of the cabin attendants killed in the crash was the sister of San'yūtei Enraku V.[5] The flight was on the Bangkok-New Delhi portion of its Tokyo-London route when the accident occurred.

The flight took off from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok at 11:21 UTC en route to New Delhi.

Investigators representing Japan pointed to the possibility of a false glide path signal causing the crash.

Indian investigators claimed the crash was caused by pilot error, specifically the captain ignoring instrument indications and not having sight of the runway (the first officer was flying the approach to New Delhi).