Start of Journey
August 7, 2020 Dubai Airport UAE. Air India Express Flight 1344 is preparing for a passenger service to Calicut Airport, Kerala, India. The aircraft operating the flight is a Boeing 737-8NG. The plane, registered as VT-AXH, has manufacturer serial number 36323, Line number 2108 and is powered by 2 CFM56-7B27 Engines. The Aircraft was delivered to Air India express in November 2006. The Aircraft is 13 years and 9 month old.
The Crew consists of 2 captains and 4 flight attendants. The Flight officer in charge is D.V Sathe, who was a test pilot with the Indian Air Force before joining Air India. Sathe is among most experienced pilots with Air India with over 10,000 flight hours and has landed successfully at Calicut Airport at least 27 times, including more than 10 times in 2020 itself. The Co-Pilot is Captain Akhilesh Kumar.
The 4 hour long flight to Calicut Airport is part of the Indian Vande Bharat repatriation mission. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the central and state government of Indian coordinated numerous International and Domestic evacuations flights and Air India flight 1344 is among one of those. There are 185 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
The Uneventful Takeoff
Air India Express Flight 1344 takes off from Dubai International Airport at 14.15 local time. The flight is scheduled to arrive at its destination at 19.40 local time. After an uneventful flight of 3 hours and 10 minutes, the Pilots begin to configure their aircraft for landing in preparation for their impending arrival at Calicut Airport.
At 18.56 local time, Air India flight 1344 begins to descend. A few minutes later, the flight make it to the Airport and Pilots begin circling the aircraft above the runway whilst waiting for an approach clearance.
Bad Weather playing the Spoilsport
Today, due to monsoon in Kerala, both conditions and visibility are very poor. Scattered clouds are reported at 300 and 1200 feet with a few cumulonimbus clouds at 2500 feet and overcast clouds at 8,000 feet. The Wind is 260 Degrees at 12 knots which is way under the safety guidelines of max 28 knots for safe landing in windy conditions.
Dangerous Runway
Calicut airport has a single tabletop runway (10/28). A tabletop runway is a runway that is located on the top of a plateau or hill with one or both end adjacent to a steep precipice which drops into a deep gorge. This type of runway creates an optical illusion which requires a very precise approach by the pilot. The configuration of Mangalore Airport, which also has a tabletop runway, has been cited as a factor in the Mangalore air crash of May 22, 2010. The Boeing 737 involved in Mangalore crash overshot the runway threshold, failed to stop, went out of control and rolled down a steep hillside.
Landing of Flight 1344
While in circling mode, Air traffic control clears the flight for a teardrop approach to runway 28. The aircraft, arriving from the west, overflies the airport at 19.12 local time. A teardrop procedure consists of departure from an initial approach fix on an outbound course followed by a turn towards and intercepting the inbound course at or prior to the intermediate fix or point. The teardrop approach is often used to reverse the direction of the aircraft and permit the aircraft to lose the altitude. This procedure is shaped like a teardrop, hence the name.
A few minutes later, the flight crew decides to discontinue the approach to runway 28 and so Air Traffic Control clear the flight for a teardrop approach to runway 10.
Fatal Crash
Flight 1344 is now on final approach to runway 10. The aircraft touches down at 19.41 local time. During landing, the aircraft fails to grip the runway properly. As a result, it fails to stop before the end of the runway and it plunges down from the tabletop by overshooting it into a 30 feet deep gorge. The aircraft was not able to withstand the force of the fall and split into several sections. 18 of the 190 people on board including both pilots, perished.
Inevitable
Calicut International Airport, is one of the riskiest and most unsafe airports in India as per DGCA’s (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) 2011 data. A member of safety advisory committee of the Ministry of Civil Aviation had called it unsafe and had recommended that it not be used for landing during wet conditions.
It was noted that the Airport has a tabletop runway with a downslope and inadequate buffer zone or runway end safety area at each end of the runway. Several warnings were ignored by the authorities. On July 2019, DGCA issued a show cause notice to the Director of Karipur Airport after various safety lapses like crack on the runway, water stagnation and excessive rubber deposits were found. Cracks were reported at the runway 28 touchdown zone. An inspection was prompted when another Air India express had a Tail Strike while landing at the airport. However, there is little to indicate that the cracks were repaired as proposed.
Tailwind, rubber deposits and wet runway are thought to be reason behind the accident of the Air India flight 1344. Who is to Blame?