Kashmir Princess

Air India Flight 300
A Lockheed L-749A Constellation similar to the incident aircraft, sister ship of the accident aircraft
Bombing
Date11 April 1955 (1955-04-11)
SummaryBombing
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed L-749A Constellation
Aircraft nameKashmir Princess
OperatorAir India
IATA flight No.AI300
ICAO flight No.AIC300
Call signAIR INDIA 300
RegistrationVT-DEP
Flight originSanta Cruz Airport, Bombay, India
StopoverKai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
DestinationKemayoran Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia
Passengers11
Crew8
Fatalities16
Injuries3
Survivors3

The Kashmir Princess, or Air India Flight 300, was a chartered Lockheed L-749A Constellation Air India flight. On 11 April 1955, it was severely damaged mid-air by a bomb explosion and crashed into the South China Sea while en route from Bombay, India, and Hong Kong to Jakarta, Indonesia. Of the nineteen occupants, only three survived. The explosion was an assassination attempt targeting Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who missed the flight either due to a medical emergency or, as one historian concluded, because he had prior knowledge. The Chinese government insisted that Hong Kong authorities investigate; they concluded that the Kuomintang were responsible for the bombing.