Fatal aircraft crash in Calicut tabletop airport kills more than 18 people
The fatal ground crash of the “Air India Boeing 737 operating aircraft IX - 1344”, carrying passengers under the Vande Bharat Mission “from Dubai to Calicut took away more than 18 lives including two senior pilots. The aircraft was carrying 184 passengers along with six crew members and two senior pilots.
The Boeing 737 aircraft of Air India touched land at 7:40 pm during heavy rains and adverse wind conditions on runway 10 of the Kozhikode tabletop airport in Kerala. The aircraft dropped into a 35 feet gorge at Calicut airport and the fuselage was split into two parts.
Data from Flightradar24, a Swedish based online flight tracker website that displays real-time commercial flight movement, indicated IX-1344 circled the airport and tried to land in the runway 29 of the Calicut tabletop airport but didn’t make the landing as the pilots faced difficulties landing on their designated runway before attempting to land on runway 10 on the opposite side, during which the plane skidded, overshot and fell into a 35 feet valley.
Most of the passengers traveling in the flight was returning home from Dubai after they lost their job due to the pandemic.
The pilots of the Boeing Air India aircraft, both of whom were killed in the crash, have been identified as Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe and Captain Akhilesh Kumar. Wing Commander, Deepak Vasant Sathe was a decorated former IAF fighter pilot who flew planes for Air India before moving on to Air India Express.
Click on the link below to know more about Calicut airport departure and Calicut airport arrivals timing
What is a Tabletop airport?
A tabletop airport is generally constructed over the top of a plateau or hill with one or both ends of the runway adjacent to a steep downside elevation that drops into a deep valley. Landing in a tabletop runway is extremely difficult as it is at an elevated level from the ground and henceforth it creates an optical illusion that makes landing difficult.
Conditions at the time of Air India’s flight IX-1344's landing included heavy monsoon rain which made the runway's surface slick and created an additional challenge
Why is a tabletop airport so risky?
Tabletop runways are extremely risky and dangerous for flight operations and India witnessed the second major crash in Calicut airport within 10 years after the deadly Mangalore airport crash which took place in 2010.
The Mangalore airport runway crash was far more deadly as it killed more than 180 people on board.
The Boeing plane was carrying at least 174 adults, 10 infants, two pilots, and five-cabin crew members out of which at least 18 people, including a pilot, are reported killed and 123 injured.
The flight skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 50-feet valley breaking into two portions.
Tabletop runways are extremely difficult for landing aircraft even for the best of the commercial pilots. A tabletop runway is typically a runway built over a hill by leveling the upper surface. These high altitude runways have a steep downward slope either on one side or both sides.
If there's a cliff, like in the case of Kozhikode tabletop airport, pilots have to be extra careful to stop the plane at the right distance and at the right time. However, in rainy weather, the situation becomes tricky and often poses a challenge for the pilots to understand the correct landing point, which leads to plane overshooting the runway and crashing by slipping along the hill
Top 5 Tabletop Airport in India
In India, there are a total of five tabletop runways located on the top of a plateau or hill. These airports are located at high altitude levels and are extremely dangerous for flight operations.
- Mangalore International Airport - Karnataka
- Kozhikode International Airport - Kerala
- Lengpui Airport PCN - Mizoram
- Shimla and Kullu - Himachal Pradesh
- Pakyong in Sikkim
Himachal Pradesh Airport in Jubbarhatti is located at an altitude of 2,196 meters above the sea level and is considered to be among world’s top 10 riskiest airports
Revisiting the Mangalore airport Crash of 2010
The Mangalore tabletop airport runway crash of 2010 is considered to be one of the deadliest aircraft accidents in the world.
The Mangalore airport crash took place on 22nd May 2010, when a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operated by Air India Express flight 812, returning from Dubai to Mangalore, crashed during the time of landing at the tabletop runway.
Although the accident of 2010, was considered to be the fault of the captain as his approach was not stable and he didn’t listen to the warning signals of the ground officers
The careless approach of the captain resulted in the aircraft overshooting the runway and falling down a hillside and bursting into flames.
The Mangalore airport website and the official spokesperson for the Mangalore Airport News Authority claimed that out of 160 onboard passengers in the aircraft, 158 of them were killed and their dead bodies were hard to identify due to the flames.
As per the Mangalore Airport website, the Mangalore airport runway length at the time of the fatal crash was 8000 feet. However, this crash forced the government to change the airport runway design.
Later, the Civil Aviation Ministry granted claims for the Mangalore international airport runway extension, and accordingly, the Mangalore airport runway length was increased to 9000 feet. The Mangalore airport expansion led to an increase in the spillover area of the runway. The airport authority also installed modern equipment and advanced radar systems for preventing future accidents in such tabletop airport
Can future tabletop airport crashes be avoided?
Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a member of a safety advisory committee constituted by the Ministry of civil aviation had warned more than 9 years ago about dangerous consequences that could result from continuing operations at runway 10 of Kozhikode tabletop airport.
“Karipur airport is unsafe and landing should not be allowed here, especially during wet conditions. My warning, issued after the Mangalore crash, was ignored. It is a tabletop runway with a downslope. The buffer zone at the end of the runway is inadequate,” he said. Given the topography, he pointed out, the airport should have a buffer of 240 meters at the end of the runway, but it has only 90 meters (which the DGCA had approved). “Moreover, the space on either side of the runway is only 75 meters instead of the mandatory 100 meters” - Capt. Mohan Ranganathan
The fatal accident which took place on Friday claiming more than 18 lives once again proves that the government advisory went unheard by the airport authorities.
Experts suggest that in future landings should be disallowed in Kozhikode tabletop airport during heavy storm and rainfall in order to prevent such accidents.
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