Safety Expert Warned Against Kozhikode’s Tabletop Runway in 2011

The report was submitted by Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a member of the safety advisory committee.

AirIndia Express Landing Calicut

(Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia/Dhruvarahjs)

A day after the tragic air crash in Kerala’s Kozhikode claimed the lives of 18 people, including the two pilots, a report submitted in 2011 has resurfaced. The report submitted by Captain Mohan Ranganathan, who was the member of a safety advisory committee constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, had said the tabletop runway in Kozhikode is unsafe for landing, especially during wet conditions.

This report was submitted following an air crash at Mangaluru International Airport in 2010. Even Mangaluru had a tabletop runway, and in May 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express flight overshot Mangalore airport runway and crashed.

What Does the Report Say?

In an interview to The Times of India, Captain Mohan Ranganathan said that following the Mangaluru air crash, he had submitted a report regarding the Kozhikode airport, which said that buffer zone at the end of the runway was inadequate.

According to him, a buffer of at least 240 metres should be available at the end of the runway, but at the Kozhikode airport, there was only 90 metres distance, and either side of the runway had only 75 metres of space instead of the mandatory 100 metres.

He further added that no guidelines were available on how to land the aircraft on a tabletop runway during rain and the Runway 10 approach should not be allowed since there was not enough buffer zone after the runway.

The tragic air crash on Friday, 7 August took place on Runway 10.

What is Tabletop Runway?

A google satellite map image of Calicut airport. (Photo Courtesy: Google Maps)

A tabletop runway is a runway constructed on a hill or an elevated terrain. They are built in such a way that there is a trench or gorge in the front and at the rear of the runway. Because of this difficult terrain, landing at such airports are tricky. Pilots have to land at a particular spot on the runaway to ensure the aircraft doesn’t overshoot or undershoot the runway.

This becomes even more difficult during bad weather.

There are six major tabletop airports in India – Mangaluru in Karnataka, Kozhikode in Kerala , Lengpui in Mizoram, Shimla and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, and Pakyong in Sikkim.

So far, two of these runways – Mangaluru and Kozhikode – have seen two major accidents.