Air India Express Flight Overshoots Runway in Calicut, Killing 18 People

An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 overshot the tabletop runway at Calicut International Airport on Friday, resulting in the loss of 18 lives, including both pilots. The aircraft had already traversed the first 1,000 meters of the runway when it touched down, significantly shortening the available stretch of runway. Aviation authorities are investigating the incident, with Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stating that it is premature to speculate on the precise cause.

Key Takeaways:

• The Air India Express flight overshot the tabletop runway at Calicut International Airport, killing 18 people, including both pilots.
• The aircraft had already passed the first 1,000 meters of the runway when it touched down, shortening the available stretch of runway by more than a third.
• The runway was wet, which would have affected the efficacy of the aircraft's braking system, officials said.
• The pilot, Deepak Vasant Sathe, had landed at Calicut International Airport 27 times before the incident.
• The aircraft's black box and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered, which will help in the investigation of the incident.
• The incident has sparked concerns about tabletop airports, but Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has reassured that such airports are not a safety concern, citing their presence in many parts of the world.

Statistics:

• The aircraft was travelling from Dubai when it overshot the runway.
• The flight dropped around 60 feet after skidding off the wet strip.
• The International Civil Aviation Organisation's norm for runway end safety areas is 240 meters long on either end of the runway.
• The aircraft had a visibility of 2,000 meters at the time of landing.

Sources:

• The New York Times
• Aviation authorities quoted in The New York Times
• Vice President of the Airport Authority of India (AAI)
• Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri
• The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation