The death toll in the Kerala flight crash landing incident rose to 18, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan told The Quint on Saturday, 8 August. He further added that 17 of them have been identified and 16 others remain critical.
However, several questions surrounding the reasons behind the crash still remain unanswered.
- Was it the weather that made landing more difficult?
- Was it the table-top nature of the airport that led to the mishap?
- How did the pilots land in such adverse weather conditions?
Air India flight (IX-1344) from Dubai carrying 190 passengers skidded off the runway during landing at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode, Kerala on Friday.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the flight overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down 35 feet into a slope before breaking up in two.
Arvind Singh, AAI Chairman said that the aircraft could not land on the runway designated for it, following which it tried landing on another runway where the mishap occurred.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told ANI that the flight was at full speed while landing when it overshot the runway.
While the exact reasons are still being ascertained, former IAF Fighter Pilot Group Captain Somala Srinivas (Retd) discusses the possible technicalities that might have led to the crash.
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