Crash Mail Covers
50-80 
Air-India Malabar Princess
Malabar Princess crashed near the summit of Mont Blanc (France)
​3 November 1950
Lockheed Constellation L749 Malabar Princess VT-CQP, under the command of Captain A Saint, crashed 200 metres from the summit of Mont Blanc, killing all 40 passengers and 8 crew on board.  The aeroplane was located on 5 November.  This was the aircraft that made the first flight by Air-India from Bombay to London on 8 June 1940.

One mail bag was found on 8 November 1950. Manuscript: From Aircraft Crash in Alps received in London 17 November 1950.
More mail bags were found in the following Spring after the snows had melted. Typed label: Salvaged April 1951 from the / Air Liner “Malabar-Princess”, which / crashed in the Alps, November 1950.
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112 letters were subsequently found on 8 June 1978.
A further mail bag with 75 letters and cards, all addressed to the United States, was found by a Scottish student, Freya Cowan, about 8,000 feet below the site of the crash
Source: The Indian Express, Saturday 24 August, 2019.
50-80; (Nierinch 501103h): Only 1 mailbag was recovered in the first attempt in November 1950. Subsequent recoveries started only in April 1951 after the snows had melted. This cover was part of the first recovery, and the envelope was posted in Cairo on 31st October 1950. There is the hand written remark, From aircraft crash in Alps (Nierinck 501103h). Also on the reverse of the cover is the arrival mark LONDON 13 NO 50, thereby establishing this cover was in first and only mail bag recovered in November 1950.
50-80: (Nierinck 501103h): This is the ambulance cover used by the London Postal Office in which they forwarded the original mail to the addressee. It appears that the handwriting on the crash endorsement and the ambulance cover is the same.
50-80: (Nierinck 50113h): Original letter that was in the cover displayed above, dated 31st October 1950 at Cairo, addressed to London in response to a trade enquiry.
Air-India International, Crash of the MALABAR PRINCESS
3rd November 1950
1st Recovery cover 
ISC 50-80 (Nierinck 501103h): Only one mailbag was found in the first recovery containing mail from Cairo. This cloth backed cover is one of the few with stamps intact and has the hand-written endorsement found on mail to Britain, ‘From aircraft crash in Alps’
50-80: (Nierick 501103b): Reverse of the cover salvaged from crash of the Malabar Princess showing label affixed in London and arrival mark LONDON F.S. 30 AP 51. This mail was salvaged in April 1951.
50-80 (Nierinck 50113, label B): Cover addressed to Tata Limited, London from India, franked with 4x3a. postage stamps, and tied with Bombay RMS, 2 Nov 50 cancellation mark.

Reverse of the cover salvaged from crash of the Malabar Princess showing label affixed in London Salvaged April 51, from Air Liner "Malabar Princess" which crashed in the Apls, November 1950.
On the morning of 3rd November 1950, AIr-India Flight 245, the Malabar Princess, was on its Bombay - Cairo - Geneva - London route, when it crashed into Mont Blanc. All 40 passengers and 8 crew members were killed. The cause of the crash is unclear and attributed to turbulent weather. Mail from the crash was mainly  recovered in the spring of 1951.

Registered Official cover dated 31st October 1950 from New Delhi Defence Head Quarters (DHQ) to London. A signed and sealed cover from the Indian Air Force Accounts Office to the High Commissioner of India. Bearing Service stamps of 1 rupee 2 annas, paying the correct prevailing registered airmail rate (14 annas for airmail and 4 annas for registration). Part of the April 1951 recovery and bearing the special label applied on crash mail. Received in London on 30th April 1951, that is, 181 days after it was sent.
The only recorded Official mail recovered from this crash.
Air-India International Malabar Princess
Crashed into Mont Blanc
3 November 1950
ISC 50-80 (Nierinck 501103b): Air Mail envelope franked 1 Re and 8 as (correct combined rate for second weight stage) and cancelled BOMBAY R.M.S., 1 NOV 50, 6 PM., and addressed to London. Bears the second recovery paper label that was applied to mail sent to the UK in April, and on the verso, the LONDON, F.S., 30 AP 51 circular datestamp.
From Book: Do You Know?
Published by - Reader's Digest Association Limited
(Image Courtesy: Nikhilesh Melkote)
Air-India Kashmir Princess
11 April 1955
The three survivors of the Air-India Constellation crash come down the gangplank of the frigate H.M.S. Dampier, assisted by sailors 4/14 on their arrival here. They were barred from seeing the press amidst Red Chinese charges of American - directed sabotage of the plane on which eight Red Chinese delegates to the free-Asia conference in Indonesia lost their lives. The three Survivors are (left to right: Co-Pilot M.C. Dixit: flight navigator J.C. Pathak and engineer A.S. Karnick.
59-50
Air-India Rani of Agra
Bombay, 19 July 1959
Air-India Super Constellation VT-DIN Rani of Agra caught fire whilst landing at Bombay from Tokyo.
​The crew and 35 passengers all escaped unhurt.
59-50: Letter from Medan, Indonesia to London, England.
Air-India Super Constellation VT-DIN Rani of Agra cought fire whilst landing at Bombay from Tokyo, The crew and 35 passengers all escaped unhurt. See reference to Medan 97 and 239, which are the two covers shown here.
59-50: Letter from Medan, Indonesia to London, England.
66-10: Air-India Kanchenjunga
24 January 1966
Air-India Boeing 707 VT-DMN Kanchenjunga, flying from Bombay to New York under the command of Captain J T D’Souza, crashed into a rock shoulder called “Rocher de la Tournette” on Mont Blanc at 15,400 feet in thick cloud while on approach to land at Geneva.

Wreckage was strewn over a wide area.  Initially only 3 bodies were found and a limited amount of mail.  On 26 August 1989, the fuselage and 114 bodies were found in Miage Glacier which, because of hot summers, had carried the remains down to 7,800 feet.
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Also on board were 15 monkeys en route to a European Zoo.  They survived the crash but froze to death in the snow.
66-10: (Nierinck 660124 Type a): Meter cover franked CALCUTTA, W.B.S.I, G-2456,22 1 66, Addressed to Mayfield Hts., Ohio. And carried on board the Air-India Boeing 707 that crashed on Mont Blanc on 24 January 1966. On the front of the cover is the Neirinck Type a cachet, and on the reverse is a circular postal mark CHAMONIX - MONT BLANC, HTE - SAVOIE.
66-10: (Nierinck 660124): Letter from Canada Post Office, Quality Control Section dt. 10th March 1966 addressed to the recipient explaining the cause for damage to the letter.
66-10: (Nierinck 660124): Tattered cover on the flight that crashed on Jan 24, 1961 from Varanasi, India to Vancouver, Canada with a hand written endorsement on the reverse Damaged in Air-India Crash, and a violet rectangular handstamp District Director of Post, Quality Control Mar 10 1966, Enquiries, Vancouver, B.C.
Along with this cover is a letter from Canada Post Office, Quality Control Section dt. 1oth March 1966.
Source: The Indian Express, Saturday 24 August, 2019.
Source: Times of India, Mumbai, Tuesday, 14 July 2020.
Source: Indian Express, New Delhi, Tuesday, 14th July 2020
82-50
Air-India Annapurna
22 June 1982
Air-India Boeing 707 Annapurna VT-DJJ, en route from Singapore to London, overshot the runway whilst landing at Bombay (from Madras) in monsoon storm. 19 killed of 99 on board.
82-50: (Nierinck 820622): Cover mailed in Madras, and addressed to the U.K. salvaged from the wreck, and bears the violet cachet DAMAGED AIR ACCIDENT TO FLIGHT NO. AI 403 AT BOMBAY AIRPORT ON 22-6-1982.
82-50: (Nierinck 820622): Cover mailed in Madras, and addressed to the U.K. salvaged from the wreck, and bears the violet cachet DAMAGED AIR ACCIDENT TO FLIGHT NO. AI 403 AT BOMBAY AIRPORT ON 22-6-1982.
82-50: (Nierinck 820622): Indian Post and Telegraphs Department letter enclosing mail salvaged from the wreck.
​Air India Boeing 707 Annapurna
Crashed in Bombay
22 June 1982
ISC 82.50 (Nierinck 820622a): front part of a Registered Air Mail letter posted in Tuticorin, which boarded the aircraft in Madras and was damaged during the crash while landing in Bombay. Front beast the violet handstamp applied to all covers salvaged from the wreck, and also with this is the Nierinch Type c note added while forwarding the retreived mail.
Air India Annapurna
Crashed while landing in Bombay, 22nd June 1982
ISC 82-50: State Bank of India, Amritsar, registered letter of 21st June, is purported to be on the Annapurna when she crashed while landing in Bombay from Madras on 22nd June. This is highly unlikely.
 
There is an inventory report by Senior Superintendent, Air Mail Sub Division, Delhi which says that the letter was returned by Inward Section, London as received damaged, and Delhi station, then carried out an inventory, and sent the letter along with original contents and inventory report back to the UK on 1st July 1982 in an ambulance cover.
 
Should not be an Annapurna crash recovery cover, but an interesting postal article nonetheless.
(Provenance: Corbitts Auction, Lot#837)
Air-India Boeing 707 Annapurna.
22 June 1982
ISC 82-50: (Nierinck 800622) Cover salvaged from the crash with the recovery cachet applied after recovery at Bombay by the postal authorities, and the covering letter below attached by them when returning the same to the sender.