United Arab Airlines Flight 869 (1962)

United Arab Airlines Flight 869 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by United Arab Airlines (UAA). On May 17, 1962, the de Havilland Comet 4C operating the flight crashed near Khao Yai National Park in Thailand while en route from Hong Kong to Bombay (now Mumbai). All 26 people on board, consisting of 10 crew members and 16 passengers, perished in the accident.

The flight departed Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport with Bombay as its intended final destination, with a scheduled stopover in Bangkok. As the aircraft approached Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport, air traffic control lost contact. A search operation was initiated, and wreckage was discovered in a mountainous area of Khao Yai National Park, approximately 80 miles northeast of Bangkok.

The cause of the crash was never definitively determined. Initial investigations suggested possible explanations including pilot error, mechanical failure, and weather-related factors such as turbulence or severe thunderstorms. However, the mountainous terrain and dense jungle hindered thorough investigation and recovery efforts. No flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder was recovered, further complicating the investigation.

The accident remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters to occur in Thailand and is a significant event in the history of United Arab Airlines.