Former Indian Air Force Pilot, Deepak Sathe was a decorated officer. Being commissioned into service in the year 1981, he served for 22 years.
Kozhikode| In a horrific accident, an Air India flight skidded off the runway and fell into a valley breaking into two pieces. As of now, according to the latest update, 18 people on board the flight have died including two pilots Deepak Sathe and Akhilesh Kumar. As many as 172 people have been hospitalised after the accident, with officials involved in the rescue operations saying that 16 of them are in a critical condition.
The Chief Minister of the state Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh puri have reached the spot of the accident to oversee the rescue efforts. The officials of Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and Flight Safety Department (FSD) have reached the spot to investigate the accident.
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While the accident itself was bone-chilling, many experts claimed it was miraculous that it did not go up in flames even after falling in a 50 ft deep valley and breaking into two pieces. Speaking to the reporters, Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, “Had the plane caught fire, our work would have become more difficult.”
Deepak Sathe The Decorated Ex-IAF Officer
So how did this “miracle” happen that saved hundreds of lives? We must thank Captain of the flight, Deepak Sathe for it.
Former Indian Air Force Pilot, Deepak Sathe was a decorated officer. Being commissioned into service in the year 1981, he served for 22 years. He was an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA). He was awarded Sword of Honour during his passing out ceremony from NDA. He flew fighter planes like MiG-21 in his career at IAF. Deepak Sathe was also a skilled commercial Boeing 737 Pilot.
How Did He Save Hundreds of Lives?
As per reports, there were heavy rains at the time of the plane’s landing. This caused the skidding of the plane from the runway. As per survivors, Deepak Sathe warned them before landing. He even tried to land the plane with safety twice but was unsuccessful. But as the plane skidded off, he turned off the engine which ensured that there was no fire despite the crash. This saved many lives.
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