Kerala Pilot Says He Had Flagged Concerns Over Kozhikode Runway

The pilot further went on to add that it is a nightmare for pilots to land on a tabletop runway, especially at night and under heavy rain and wind conditions.

A day after 18 people were killed in an unfortunate plane crash in Kerala’s Kozhikode, a pilot who claims to work for IndiGo said he shared specific safety concerns with authorities about the runway at the Karipur airport. Pilot Anand Mohan Raj, in a Facebook post that’s gone viral, claimed the airport’s “runway guidance lighting system is very poor” and “braking conditions is not monitored regularly (sic)”.

The pilot further went on to add that it is a nightmare for pilots to land on a tabletop runway, especially at night and under heavy rain and wind conditions.

“Have made feedback to the concerned authorities right after many landing in the last years. Safety is the first word in aviation. Rest in Peace Capt Deepak Sathe & Capt Akhilesh. heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their dear ones,” he added.

Yesterday, this flight IX-1344 of Air India Express under the Vande Bharat Mission reached Kozhikode from Dubai. The plane skidded off the runway and fell into 50 feet deep valley breaking into two pieces. 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, the Pilot warned them before landing. He even tried to land the plane with safety twice but was unsuccessful. However, experts say that it was the skill of Pilot Sathe that the plane did not go up in flame after the crash. This saved many lives.

The crash landing killed 18 people, including 2 pilots. 127 are undergoing treatment while the condition of 15 is critical. The aircraft had a total of 190 people, 128 men, 46 women, 10 children and 6 crew members.