18 people, including both pilots, died in a plane crash in Kerala
New Delhi / Thiruvananthapuram: Eighteen people, including both pilots, were killed during an Air India Express flight crash in Kerala, 190 people fell off a tabletop runway in heavy rain and broke into pieces at Kozhikode Airport in Kerala on Friday evening.
The Boeing 737 inspected the runway at 7.41 pm and slipped into a ravine, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who has ordered an inquiry.
The pilot, one of them a decorated former fighter pilot, had terminated two landings due to the tailwind and circled the airport several times before the final landing. The area had been raining since Thursday.
"According to the weather radar, the approach was for runway 28, but when the pilots faced difficulties, they were surrounded twice and from the opposite direction on runway 10," the news agency ANI quoted an investigator as director general. Came and the plane crashed. " According to Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The officer said the aircraft was at full speed while landing and continued to the edge of the runway and fell into the ravine.
Air India Express flight IX-1344 from Dubai to Calicut was operating under the Vande India Mission to bring back stranded Indians due to coronovirus lockdown. Air India Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, has only B-737 aircraft in its fleet.
The aircraft carried 184 passengers, including 10 children and 4 cabin crew members. Many travelers were returning home after losing their jobs due to an epidemic.
A gruesome tragedy was averted as the plane did not catch fire after the crash. In the devastation, rescue personnel including local policemen pulled people out of the rubble and pieces of the aircraft's torso were shattered on a slope. Little children were found trapped under the seat in fear.
Investigating officers from DGCA, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, CEO of Air India Express and Air India and other officials of Air India Express flew into Kozhikode this morning. A Mumbai aircraft also took on "Engels of Air India" - grief counselors - and other staff to coordinate relief and assistance.
The aircraft had 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots, and four cabin crew members.
Support centers have been established in Sharjah and Dubai.
Some of the injured passengers are in critical condition.
The Press Trust of India quoted Rias, one of the passengers who was rescued. He said that the flight went around the airport twice before trying to fly. "I was in the back seat. There was a big noise and I don't know what happened after that," he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those who expressed grief after the plane crash.
The Prime Minister tweeted, "The plane in Kozhikode is hurt. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones. The injured can recover as soon as possible."
Kozhikode Airport, carved on a hilltop with limited space at the end of the runway, is one of Kerala's foremost international terminals and handles many flights from abroad.
In 2010, Air India Express flight crashed at Mangaluru International Airport under similar circumstances, killing 158 people.
A flight from Dubai overshot the runway and dropped the reef into a wooded ravine. An investigation found that the Captain misapplied the elevation while landing, resulting in the flight overshooting the runway on a plateau.
Reports said that authorities had not acted on the proposal to set up a system in Kozhikode to prevent the aircraft from falling offshore.
Comments
Post a Comment