Air India Express Crash: A Rough Landing in Kerala
Short‑haul mishap – On August 8, 2020, a Boeing 737 serving people stuck in Dubai due to the coronavirus snafu overshot a short, wet runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, India, and crashed.
What the investigators found
- Pilot error – The aircraft’s captain didn’t follow standard operating procedures, the report said.
- Heavy rain turned the runway into a slippery lacquer, making the landing even trickier.
- Overshoot led to a fatal crash, claiming 21 lives – the worst air disaster India has faced in a decade.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, concluded that not sticking to the checklist was the main culprit behind the tragedy.
What could have been done
In a nutshell: stay calm, follow the protocol. A smooth landing needs prayer for rain, a good runway, and a pilot who knows the script. When any of those slip, the outcome can be… less than cheerful.
<img alt="" data-caption="Wife of deceased Air India pilot Deepak Sathe places flowers on his coffin during his funeral in Mumbai, India, on Aug 11, 2020.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”f49207bc-4ac0-42d7-a00a-4a45b9de7e04″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20210913_funeral_reuters.jpg”/>
What Went Wrong at the Kozhikode Airport?
In the first half of March, an Air India Express plane turned into a headline-grabbing circus over Kozhikode. Instead of pulling the plunger and pulling back a limp—what pilots call a go‑around—the pilot decided to march down the runway to a half‑length touchdown zone.
The Course of the Crash
- 49 passengers, 3 crew, 1 Iraqi pilot manned a 150‑seat Boeing 737‑800.
- Pre‑flight trains the aircraft into a dizzying 2,700‑metre runway (about 8,900 feet).
- First the plane was able to get its wheels down just shy of the take‑off line. It then backed out while still looking like it was taking an improv dance class.
- Despite a clear “go‑around” cue from the monitoring pilot, the pilot stuck the landing plan, sliding the aircraft harmlessly out of the touchdown zone.
- With no one to toss the controls, the monitoring pilot didn’t step in to execute the order; you could say the cockpit turned into a make‑the‑pilot-do‑you‑like‑it‑or‑not situation.
- All of this culminated in an outright runway overrun – the aircraft sailed down a 2,700‑meter runway that makes anyone’s ankle ache because it’s essentially a cliff that drops steeply on one or both ends.
Why the Runway is a “Table‑Top” Peril
There’s a specific reason why a run‑way attacked like a table top can look so ugly to a pilot: it’s basically a flat piece of land that juts out over a cliff. And no, this isn’t a vacation stop on a tiny island; it’s a serious safety hazard that has caught out dozens of pilots, not to mention a few unfortunate passengers.
The Worst Passenger Plane Incident Since 2010
Air India Express’s Kozhikode crash is the most heartbreaking passenger plane tragedy India has seen since the jaw‑dropping 2010 mishap that took 158 lives when a jet overshot a table‑top runway in Mangalore. That earlier incident remains in the nation’s memory as the one that reminded us that runways can and do go from “take‑off” to “nightmare” in mere seconds.
Final Words: A Lesson Learned (and a Few Eye Rollers)
And so, the 257‑page investigation eventually says the pilot didn’t pull the emergency quick‑stop, the monitoring guard failed to control the taxi, and that the entire fiasco turned the runway into a world record for “runway boundary” timing. Remember: A go‑around may sound like a fancy dance, but it’s literally the difference between a safe landing and a busted runway. Until the next advisory, pilots, keep the “go‑around” button handy, and passengers, stay strapped in—no one wants their journey to become a cinematic overrun.
