Air India Express Crashes at Mangalore Airport

[mnhegde]

Very Sad News. May the Souls Rest In Peace.

SOURCE: D A I J I W O R L D

Mangalore, May 22: Air India Express, the national carrier coming from Dubai crashed while landing at Mangalore Airport around 6.00am Saturday, May 22, 2010. The plane had taken off Dubai Airport around 1.10am Dubai time had been carrying around 150 plus passengers.

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

small airport ......lack of sufficient space ....and hence this mishap ........may their souls rest in peace ....

 

[Kevian]

Very Sad....after Kanishka...this is the 2nd Flight incident....R.I.P

 

[santhosh]

That is sad to hear. May their souls rest in peace.

 

[spirovious]

A Bad day for many one.very sorry to hear.

 

[mandeep]

Despite of a short runway/objections, why was the airport allowed to operate?

Just another example how "the corrupt", play with innocent lives.Wastage of precious human lives.

My condolences to the families of the deceased.

 

[venkatcr]

Mangalore is a table top airport that allows for literally no pilot error. The runway is short and is not meant to take modern aircraft.

As usual everyone is protecting themselves. AAI is saying the runway and the airport are fit for Boeing 737-800. At the end of the day, the poor pilot will be blamed.

In addition to flying, I think we now have to worry about which airports to fly into. What a sad state of affairs.

Sadly,

Venkat

 

[mnhegde]

Very Sad....after Kanishka...this is the 2nd Flight incident....R.I.P

Similar crash (Airbus A 320) had occurred in Bangalore in 1990.

Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 02141990


@ Venkatcr: Not only the runway is short, but there is a cliff at the end point of runway .

 

[thekinge]

It is very sad:sad: Woke up today morning and this is the first news I saw. Strikes a raw chord in me because I live in Dubai and fly frequently as well. Looks like the runway visibility was way too low and yet the pilot was given clearance to land using visual flying approach in an airport that is tricky to land even in clear weather conditions.

Most of the modern aircraft have a terrain mapping system (my description and not exact wording) that will display the terrain the aircraft is flying in and will display dangers like mountains / hills etc in a brighter color to warn pilots. In spite of all this, the aircraft has crashed.

Hence this disaster calls into question the role of Air Traffic Control, whether such a tricky airport had guided landing systems and the pilots' role in the crash

Whatever the reason is, the loss is very painful. May their souls rest in peace.

 

[Dushie]

disappointing news specially so many people lost their lives with hardly 6 survivors is a big loss.

 

[mnhegde]

Hence this disaster calls into question the role of Air Traffic Control, whether such a tricky airport had guided landing systems and the pilots' role in the crash

According to the news channels, the Pilot hadn't even sent an SOS:sad:. Crash (Tail landing) happened within seconds and the plane caught fire:sad:. Miracle is, 6 passengers survived (News Reports).

 

[GeorgeO]

Pilot error is the normal reason DGCA ascribes to crashes. DGCA is an agency that knows how to cover it's ass well, and is a lapdog of the Minister of Civil Aviation. Praful Patil will now start making his usual noises, as an expert in the blame game..

Mangalore is a table top airport that allows for literally no pilot error. The runway is short and is not meant to take modern aircraft.

As usual everyone is protecting themselves. AAI is saying the runway and the airport are fit for Boeing 737-800. At the end of the day, the poor pilot will be blamed.

In addition to flying, I think we now have to worry about which airports to fly into. What a sad state of affairs.

Sadly,

Venkat

 

[thekinge]

Mangalore is a table top airport that allows for literally no pilot error. The runway is short and is not meant to take modern aircraft.

As usual everyone is protecting themselves. AAI is saying the runway and the airport are fit for Boeing 737-800. At the end of the day, the poor pilot will be blamed.

In addition to flying, I think we now have to worry about which airports to fly into. What a sad state of affairs.

Sadly,

Venkat

Hi Venkat,

The earlier runway was too short (about 6000 feet) but a new runway was opened last year which was about 8000 feet, long enough to land most modern aircraft probably with the exception of Airbus A380. And it looks like the aircraft was indeed flying under instrument guidance so to me it looks like a case of pilot error since the aircraft overshot the runway by 2000 feet.

However, apparently both the pilots were new and started flying Jet aircraft only from 2009. Now the question is why would Air India put such inexperienced pilots on to an airport that is difficult to land even for experienced pilots?

 

[ash147]

Hi Venkat,

The earlier runway was too short (about 6000 feet) but a new runway was opened last year which was about 8000 feet, long enough to land most modern aircraft probably with the exception of Airbus A380. And it looks like the aircraft was indeed flying under instrument guidance so to me it looks like a case of pilot error since the aircraft overshot the runway by 2000 feet.

However, apparently both the pilots were new and started flying Jet aircraft only from 2009. Now the question is why would Air India put such inexperienced pilots on to an airport that is difficult to land even for experienced pilots?

very very sad indeed.but as per the news in DNA Capt Z Glusica, was an expat pilot and commander of the aircraft.Air India Express aircraft crashes at Mangalore airport, 160 feared dead - dnaindia.com

 

[venkatcr]

The Pilot was a Serb or an Ukranian or something. The Times news reader could not even pronounce his name. Why the hell, when we have so many Indian Pilots without jobs, do we employ these people from third world countries?

I remember a long time ago when I was on a flight to Mangalore, some 50 feet from the runway, the pilot employed full thrust and took the aircraft to a height where the oxygen masks were deployed. We climbed at nearly a 35 degree angle with lots of people screaming and shouting. We flew back to Bangalore and the aircraft was taken back later by a more experienced pilot. I remember reading in the paper about many such incidents that were at least reported. I live in row of houses that is full of IA pilots and they tell me near misses is very common in Mangalore. To spend some money to improve the situation is beyond the means of our government? Is paying 2 lakhs to 150 people cheaper?

TheKinge, even if you have to go to Mangalore, please land in Chennai or Bangalore and take a train.

Venkat

 

[thekinge]

I feel very sad for the families because the majority of the passengers would have been laborers who work in "close to slavery" conditions in middle east. Their stories are really sad: They are made to pay exorbitant amounts by local (India based) agents to get a labor contract to work in any country in middle east and most of the laborers would not have the money to pay nor the assets to get a bank loan. Hence they borrow the money from unscrupulous private lenders paying exorbitant interest.

Even before they start their work in middle east, they are already in irrecoverable debt back home and after they land, they will be told that their salaries will be half of what they were promised (the other half going to cover their accommodation & food) and their passports will be taken away. Whatever they earn and send back to India simply goes towards maintaining the family and paying off the ballooning interest. And by then, they would have got into a vicious cycle of increasing debt back in home country and locked into long term low paying contract in middle east, a cycle from which they can never recover.

Most of the laborers get to see their families only once in maybe four or five years since blue collar workers don't get the luxury of once a year paid trip to India, which are officially included in contracts for white collar workers.

I cannot bear to imagine what the families of laborers who lost their lives in this crash are going to do. Most of them will literally be on streets thanks to the heartless lenders who will be behind them now to recover the 1 or 2 lakhs that the government will pay (in about a year) and what-ever else they can from these grieving families.

 

[thekinge]

TheKinge, even if you have to go to Mangalore, please land in Chennai or Bangalore and take a train.

Venkat

Venkat, I sincerely appreciate your genuine concern, I really do. However my home town is Chennai & Tamil Nadu and hence would not need to fly to Mangalore.

 

[mnhegde]

Even before they start their work in middle east, they are already in irrecoverable debt back home and after they land, they will be told that their salaries will be half of what they were promised (the other half going to cover their accommodation & food) and their passports will be taken away. Whatever they earn and send back to India simply goes towards maintaining the family and paying off the ballooning interest. And by then, they would have got into a vicious cycle of increasing debt back in home country and locked into long term low paying contract in middle east, a cycle from which they can never recover.
I cannot bear to imagine what the families of laborers who lost their lives in this crash are going to do. Most of them will literally be on streets thanks to the heartless lenders who will be behind them now to recover what-ever they can from these grieving families.

Just imagining such things sends a shiver to the spine. Heartless lenders and even more heartless politicians.


Air India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indian Airlines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[gobble]

The Pilot was a Serb or an Ukranian or something. The Times news reader could not even pronounce his name. Why the hell, when we have so many Indian Pilots without jobs, do we employ these people from third world countries?

I remember a long time ago when I was on a flight to Mangalore, some 50 feet from the runway, the pilot employed full thrust and took the aircraft to a height where the oxygen masks were deployed. We climbed at nearly a 35 degree angle with lots of people screaming and shouting. We flew back to Bangalore and the aircraft was taken back later by a more experienced pilot. I remember reading in the paper about many such incidents that were at least reported. I live in row of houses that is full of IA pilots and they tell me near misses is very common in Mangalore. To spend some money to improve the situation is beyond the means of our government? Is paying 2 lakhs to 150 people cheaper?

TheKinge, even if you have to go to Mangalore, please land in Chennai or Bangalore and take a train.

Venkat

Actually I have seen pilots fly a passenger aircraft like a teen who got his first rx100. Full tilt on a wing at 45 degrees just after take off!! So I dont
know if younger pilots are better. Actually I imagined the pilot to be one of those young 20 something just out of flying school but I really dont know who was at the helm.

Who can imagine your next journey will be your last one? Just as you are about to touch down and finish the journey that too.

RIP to all the poor victims.

Regards

 

[venkatcr]

The earlier runway was too short (about 6000 feet) but a new runway was opened last year which was about 8000 feet, long enough to land most modern aircraft probably with the exception of Airbus A380. And it looks like the aircraft was indeed flying under instrument guidance so to me it looks like a case of pilot error since the aircraft overshot the runway by 2000 feet.

However, apparently both the pilots were new and started flying Jet aircraft only from 2009. Now the question is why would Air India put such inexperienced pilots on to an airport that is difficult to land even for experienced pilots?

Seems to be a combination of issues. The runway is yet 1000 feet short. I believe the minimum for jet aircraft is 9000 feet.

The runway had a margin of just 90 meters which is just 300 feet - too short for any kind of error management. It looks as if the pilot landed too far from the correct spot (called touch down point), lost nearly 1500 feet, there is a valley too near the runway, a tyre burst, and the plane crashed into the valley before the pilot could take off again.

You need very experienced pilots to land in, what many call, the equivalent of an aircraft carrier.

Venkat