Air India Express aircraft carrying 190 passengers and crew skidded off on the runway at Calicut Airport and fell into a 35-feet valley before splitting into two pieces late Friday evening. The incident took place at around 7.41 pm amid heavy rainfall in the area. The flight IX-1344 from Dubai was part of the Vande Bharat Mission, meant to bring home stranded people across the globe amid Coronavirus.
At least 18 people, including the pilot and co-pilot of the Air India Express aircraft, have been killed in the incident. Rescue operation completed and all injured passengers have been rushed to nearby medical facilities.
Captain Deepak Sathe, a former Indian Air Force pilot, who was flying the aircraft and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar has died. The pilot of the deadly plane crash in Kerala tried to land earlier and then did a turnaround said, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
“The weather conditions were not good. The pilot had tried to land earlier and then did a turnaround,” Hardeep Singh Puri said.
“The aircraft would not be brought to a halt by the end of the runway, and there’s a 35-foot drop in a gorge,” he added.
Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted “Rescue operations are now complete. Injured being treated at various city hospitals,” everyone has been evacuated from the plane now.
In 2013, there were reports of Calicut runway developing cracks with poor material. DGCA found safety lapses at that time. Then in July 2019, DGCA issued a notice to Calicut airport over safety concerns as runways experienced reduced friction due to heavy rains.
The notice issued was having ‘significant safety concerns’. These include “excessive rubber deposits” — something that can be dangerous for safe landings in the heavy rains that Kerala is witnessing by reducing friction apart from finding cracks and stagnating water on parts of the runway.
Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan said: “Very sad to know of this mishap. All our feelings are with the passengers and their families.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent condolences to the families of the victims and tweeted “Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest,”.
The rescue operation is now completed and injured being treated at various city hospitals. “2 investigation teams of professionals from Air India, Airports Authority of India & AAIB will leave for Kozhikode at 02.00 hrs & 05.00 hrs,” said Hardeep Singh Puri.
Top officials of various aviation authorities including AAI, DGCA, AAIB, AI and AI Express left the aviation ministry to take an enquiry.
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