Firm News

Air India Express Plane Crash Kills Scores

Posted on May 23, 2010

Air India Express flight 812 from Dubai to Mangalore in Southern India, overshot the hilltop runway where it was landing killing over 160 passengers. The crash happened when the Boeing 737 traveled off the end of the runway.   The runway is located on a hilltop with valleys of 200 to 250ft immediately beyond paved surface of Runway. Mangalore-Bajpe Airport (IXE). Investigators on the scene and aviation experts said the unusual configuration of the runway made landing there complicated.

It was reported by the Indian Government that eight passengers survived the plunge into the hilly terrain where the aircraft burst into flames. One survivor stated, "as soon as we landed, the tire burst." Another survivor told reporters, "within three seconds there was a fire blast. The inside was filled with smoke."

The runway at Mangalore-Bajpe Airport (IXE) is built on a plateau and is surrounded by cliffs immediately beyond paved surface of runway. Indian aviation safety experts have expressed concern about safety standards in India's rapidly expanding aviation sector. Last year, there were three near-miss collisions between planes at the airport in Mumbai, India. Air India has been in the news for more that one safety related incidents. This includes a mid air scuffle between crew members and flight attendants during a flight. This altercation left the aircraft unmanned for minutes. In September of 2009 an Air India flight to Toronto was delayed while the crew searched for rats on board the aircraft.

Air India Express is owned by the Indian government and has reportedly been experiencing financial difficulties lately due to a decrease in air travel. Kapil Kaul, the chief executive of India and the Middle East at the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, a research group, said pilot error was a likely cause.

The aircraft was relatively new. It was a Boeing 737-800 with having made its first flight in December 2007, some 2 years and five months before the fatal crash.

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