Air India Express Plane Crash Updates: B-737 not a wide-body aircraft, probe findings will be made public, Puri tells critics

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Issues raised by DCGA were addressed: Aviation minister

The short point is that raising such concerns is the normal work of @DGCAIndia. DGCA also strictly ensures that these are complied with & rectified under all circumstances. This was done by the airport operator.

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 8, 2020

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Findings of probe will be made public, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Responding to criticism that the Kozhikode air crash occurred as landings were allowed despite several warnings, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri urged his fellow politicians and media to exercise patience, saying that the accident was being probed and the findings will be made public. In a series of tweets, Puri said that the aircraft involved in the incident at Kozhikode, a B-737-800, was not a wide body aircraft. “As far as wide body aircraft are concerned, DGCA had carried out a thorough assessment and prescribed comprehensive mitigation measures,” he said. 

He said that the runway had been strengthened and flights were being operated after due permissions were obtained for wide body aircrafts. “Kozikhode Airport has a total footfall of 3.2 million passengers per annum with 70-80 aircraft movement per day.  The total wide body operations are only 4 percent of the total,” he said.

I would like to remind my colleagues that the aircraft involved in the incident at Kozhikode was a B-737-800 which is NOT a wide body aircraft. As far as wide body aircraft are concerned, DGCA had carried out a thorough assessment & prescribed comprehensive mitigation measures. pic.twitter.com/7jjQS3deAd

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 8, 2020

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Mizoram’s Lengpui airport safe for landing passenger flights, claims official

A day after the Kozhikode plane crash, an official asserted that Mizoram’s Lengpui airport is safe for landing of passengers flights upto Airbus 320 and cargo flights. J Lalhmingliana, Principal Consultant in the Civil Aviation wing of the General Administration department, told news agency PTI that the runway having 2,500 metres length and whose breadth is 45 metre wide, has enough space and is strong enough for safe landing. Lengpui airport, the lone one in Mizoram, is located about 32 km northwest of capital Aizawl.

It is among the five table-top airports in the country along with Kozhikode, Mangalore (Karnakata), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) and Pakyong (Sikkim).

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

DGCA should not allow landings at Kozhikode airport during monsoons: Aviation safety expert

Aviation safety expert Captain Ranganathan, who had earlier flagged concerns about Kozhikode airport runway, on Saturday said regulator DGCA should not allow landing of flights during monsoons on runway 10 at the aerodrome.  “Death due to an accident is something which happens when you don’t know but when you knew the danger existed and you were warned about it and you took no action and an accident takes place, then it is definitely murder,” Ranganathan told PTI.

 On Saturday, he said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should enforce the correct runway code for Kozhikode airport. “No aircraft larger than a 737 or a 320 should be permitted to land there. They should not permit any landing during monsoons on runway 10. The DGCA should enforce that all airlines should comply and do their monsoon training before the monsoons what is called ALAR training they have to do it without failure,” he said.  ALAR is Approach and Landing Accident Reduction.

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Air India mourns accident with black logo

Both Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express have put up black logos  on social media to offer condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Kozhikode plane crash. Eighteen persons lost their lives while many were injured.

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Village in mourning as prospective bridegroom dies in crash

It is a wedding that will never happen as the Air India Express plane crash at Kozhikode snuffed out the life of the prospective young bridegroom. Muhammed Riyas, 24, had taken the flight on Friday evening along with his brother after his parents fixed the marriage. His friends and local people at his native Mollur

village are in a state of shock afer news emerged that Riyas, who was working with his brother Nizamuddin in Dubai, had died in the accident.

A villager said Riyas’ family had fixed his engagement later this month after he completed the mandatory COVID-19 quarantine period.  “Unfortunately, we lost him in the tragedy.We are in a state of shock,” one of his friends told reporters.

Riyas’ body was buried this afternoon at the Mollur Juma Masjid Khabarstan adhering to COVID-19 protocol, police said. Nizamuddin has been admitted to a hospital in Kozhikode with serious injuries.

PTI

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Survivors recount ordeal

Vijaymohan, who escaped with minor injuries and is recovering in a private hospital, said he thought it was a nightmare, unsure whether he was dreaming it all or living through it.are." I could see heaps of twisted metal spread around when I opened my eyes after the initial shock of the impact," said Vijayamohan, a resident of Malaparamba.His wife Jameema is admitted in the ICU. The couple had gone to Dubai in December to join their son but got held up due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown.

Fathima, another passenger, said the flight landed with heavy force and moved forward. Ashik, undergoing treatment at a hospital here, was thankful to the fire  personnel who reached immediately and moved the injured to safety.

PTI

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CISF asks its personnel to go into quarantine

The CISF has directed its personnel to go into preventive quarantine after at least two passengers of the Air India Express flight that crashed in Kozhikode tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday. The Central Industrial Security Force said it was the “first responder” to rescue passengers as its Assistant Sub-Inspector Ajit Singh was on runway patrol when the flight from Dubai with 190 people on board overshot the table-top runway, fell into a 35-foot valley and broke into two on Friday.

“We are identifying our personnel, who rescued the passengers who have tested positive for the coronavirus,” CISF Special Director General (Airports) M A Ganapathy told PTI. Another senior officer said the force has information that two passengers have tested positive for COVID-19. Around 50 CISF personnel and their family members were involved in the rescue operation and they have been asked to self-quarantine, he said. The force will also conduct COVID-19 tests of those who were exposed, the officer said.

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DGCA had issued notice to Kozhikode airport in July 2019 over critical safety lapses

Aviation regulator DGCA had issued a show-cause notice to the director of the Kozhikode airport on July 11 last year after it found “various critical safety lapses” in different places, including the runway and the apron, officials said on Saturday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation pointed to cracks on the runway, water stagnation and excessive rubber deposits among other lapses in its show-cause notice. The DGCA conducted the inspection after an Air India Express flight coming from Dammam in Saudi Arabia had a “tail strike” while landing at the Calicut (Kozhikode) airport on 2 July last year, an official told news agency PTI..

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Vladimir Putin conveys condolences

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent his condolences to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the tragic plane crash at Kozhikode: India in Russia

18 passengers of an Air India Express flight died after it crash-landed in Kozhikode, Kerala yesterday. pic.twitter.com/nr1sCwIBgf

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2020

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Captain Sathe’s kin concerned about table-top airports, says Anil Deshmukh

The family of Captain Deepak V Sathe, pilot of the ill-fated Air India Express flight which crashed, expressed concerns about ’table-top airports’ in the country, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said.  Deshmukh met his relatives here on Saturday to pay his condolences. “The family expressed concerns about table-top airports in the country while speaking to me. They said the Civil Aviation Ministry should ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” he told reporters.

A family member told  news agency PTI that Captain Sathe was a very experienced pilot, and he could not have made any mistake while landing. The government should think about how to avoid such incidents at table-top airports, she said.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh met late Captain DV Sathe's family members at their residence in Nagpur today. Captain DV Sathe was flying the #AirIndiaExpress flight which crash-landed at #Kozhikode airport yesterday. pic.twitter.com/kneQtqKYVo

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2020

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Probe should take into account maintenance issues caused by pay cuts, says Binoy Viswam

Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Binoy Viswam said that any enquiry into the Air India Express plane crash at Kozhikode airport should take into account maintenance issues caused by pay cuts and certain other policy changes introduced by the national carrier. “While the preliminary investigation is underway and circumstances of the crash are being unearthed, it is clear that the staff and the crew of Air India have displayed exemplary courage in the face of such adversity. Over the past two years, the entire Air India organisation has been severely affected by the government’s decision to privatise the airline,” Viswam, who is also the president of the Alliance Air Employees Union, said. He said the uncertainty over the future as well as the government’s decision to cut wages and introduce a leave without pay policy has caused “great mental stress” to all employees. “In such circumstances, it is possible that the maintenance and safety of aircrafts is also jeopardised and it is important that the enquiry looks into these aspects as well,” the CPI’s Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala said.

PTI

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Plane swayed violently before crashing, recounts survivor

A survivor of the Kozhikode plane crash told news agency The Associated Press that the Boeing 737-800 swayed violently before nosediving. Renjith Panangad, a plumber who was returning home for the first time in three years after losing his job at a construction company in Dubai, said the plane swayed before the crash and everything went dark. He said he followed other passengers who crawled their way out of the fuselage through the emergency exit.

“A lot of passengers were bleeding,” said Panangad, who escaped without major injuries. “I still can’t comprehend what happened. As I am trying to recall what happened, my body is shivering.”He said the pilot made a regular announcement before landing, and moments after the plane hit the runway, it nosedived. “There was a big noise during the impact and people started screaming,” he said.

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Passengers recount plane crash, some still in shock

Several injured passengers of the ill-fated Air India Express flight from Dubai which overshot the runway and crashed at the Kozhikode airport  are yet to get over the horror moments that took them close to death, reports PTI.  “We did not realise what really happened other than the flight was shaking,” said Ramshad, who was injured as the aircraft dived into the valley and broke into two portions on Friday night after landing amid rains. Though he was injured, Ramshad’s wife Sufaira and four- year old daughter Saidasherin escaped without any serious wounds.
   

Similar is the experience of Ashraf, a native of east Kozhikode, now under treatment at the Medical College Hospital, who said he was yet to recover from the shock. “As soon the flight crashed, the emergency door was opened and people jumped out to safety,” another survivor said. Ashik, undergoing treatment at a hospital, said the fire force personnel reached immediately and shifted the injured to hospital soon.

Air India Plane Crash LATEST Update

Victims identified,nine hail from Kozhikode

The passengers killed in the Air  India Express crash have been identified and as many as nine of the 18 victims were from Kozhikode, reports PTI.  Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan, who released the details, said the victims include four children and nine people were from Kozhikode.
     

Rajeevan Cherakkaparambil (61), Manal Ahamed (25), Sharafudheen (35) Janaki Kunnoth (55) Assan Muhammed Chembai (1), Ramya Muraleedharan (32), Shivathmika (5) Shenobia (40) and Shahira Banu (29) hailed from Kozhikode. Muhammed Riyas V P (24) and Ayisha Duva (2) were from Palakkad. Shaheer Syed (38), Lailaabi K V (51), Shantha Marakkat (59), Sudheer Variyath (45) and Shessa Fathima (2) hailed from Malappuram.   Pilot Capt Deepak Sathey and co Pilot Akhilesh Kumar were the other two victims.
     

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that out of the 18 who died, 14 were adults and four children.  “Out of the 14 adults, seven are male and others female.”

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Recovered black box to be sent to Deli for further probe

The black box of the ill-fated Air India Express plane that crashed at Karipur International Airport in Kozhikode has been recovered and will be taken to Delhi for further investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), said an official of aviation regulator DGCA on Saturday.

The digital flight data recorder (DFDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) jointly make up the “black box” in an aircraft. The DFDR keeps a record of data from plane’s systems like airspeed, altitude and fuel flow. A good quality DFDR can store up to 25 hours of flight data. The CVR keeps a recording of all the conversations taking place in a plane’s cockpit. A good quality CVR can store up to two hours of voice data.

“The DFDR and CVR, which have been recovered from the plane, will help in finding the cause of this accident,” the official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. These devices are with the AAIB and will be sent to Delhi for further investigation, according to the official.

PTI

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23 persons discharged, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited the Kozhikode accident site as also a hospital where survivors are undergoing treatment. “149 people have been admitted to various hospitals. 23 have been discharged while three are critically injured,” he said.

Visited Kozhikode Medical College hospital with my colleague Sh @VMBJP Ji. Senior doctors briefed us on the status of various people admitted for treatment.

149 people have been admitted to various hospitals. 23 have been discharged while 3 are critically injured. pic.twitter.com/D9RrZnK8Rg

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 8, 2020

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Runway given clearance in 2019, says AAI

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had raised questions regarding the runway at Kozhikode Airport in 2015 but had given clearance in 2019 after those issues were resolved, news agency ANI quotes Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairperson Arvind Singh as saying.

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Aviation expert flagged concerns about Kozhikode airport runway in 2011

Flights landing on runway 10 in tailwind conditions in rain at the Kozhikode airport endanger the lives of people onboard those flights, civil aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan had warned in 2011, reports PTI. Ranganathan,who was then a member of the operations group of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Committeehad flagged concerns about the runway in a communication to then Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi in June 2011.

 “… in spite of the danger if the crew  accept a landing in wet and tailwind conditions, their concept of ALAR (Approach and Landing Accident Reduction)  is very poor,” he had said in the communication which came  against the backdrop of an Air India Express aircraft crash at Mangalore airport in 2010. As many as 158 people had died in the crash.    “… all the flights that land on Runway 10  in the tailwind conditions in rain, are endangering the lives of all on board,” Ranganathan had said.

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Goa forward party expresses concern over shortened runway at Mopa airport

Referring to the Kerala plane crash tragedy, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) alleged that the state government had permitted to reduce the length of the

runway at the proposed Mopa international airport in the state. The upcoming airport is expected to become operational by March 2022. “Last night, a plane crashed in Kerala after overshooting the (tabletop) runway (in Kozhikode). Shockingly our state government had in July this year resolved to reduce the length of the runway at the proposed Mopa airport,” GFP president Vijai Sardesai told reporters.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had announced that the state government and the GMR Goa International Airport Limited had agreed to reduce the length of the runway to 3.5 km from 3.75 km.

PTI

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Kozhikode airport to be operational soon: AAI chairman

The Air India Express plane crashed at a different runway than where the aircraft was supposed to land, said Airports Authority of  India Chairman Arvind Singh. “The flight could not land at the runway where it had to and then landing was tried on another runway where the mishap happened. We are monitoring the situation and the airport will become operational soon,” news agency ANI quotes him as saying.

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23 passengers in critical condition: Kerala CM

At least 149 people are in various hospitals of Malappuram and Kozhikode, out of which 23 are in critical condition, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the press meet at Kozhikode Medical College.

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Kerala govt announces ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to kin of deceased

The Kerala government has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of those who died in the Kozhikode plane crash on Friday.

The medical expenses of those under treatment will be taken over by the state government, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a press meet at Kozhikode Medical College. Kerala Governor Mohammed Arif Khan was also present.

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Cause of plane crash to be determined after data analysis of black boxes: Aviation Minister 

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said that the precise cause of Kozhikode plane crash can be determined only after data analysis of the black boxes recovered from the aircraft.

“A few patients are in critical condition, three of them are on ventilators. We visited the site of crash and two black boxes have been recovered,” said Puri.

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Post-mortem of deceased to be completed by 3 pm: Kerala CM

Post-mortem examination of those who died in the Kozhikode plane crash will be completed by 3 pm on Saturday, The Hindu quoted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. He was speaking at a press conference held at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode after he visited the injured.

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Pinarayi Vijayan visits Kozhikode Medical college

Visited the Kozhikode Medical college where the passengers of Air india flight AXB1344 are being treated. Took stock of the situation. pic.twitter.com/xwszj5jhuH

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) August 8, 2020

  Air India Plane Crash LATEST Updates

Deepak Sathe was an experienced Boeing 737-800 aircraft pilot: AI Express

Pilot-in-command Deepak Sathe was an experienced Boeing 737-800 aircraft pilot, Air India Express said on Saturday. It added that the family members of the deceased were escorted to a Kozhikode hospital where his mortal remains were kept for post-mortem.

The airline also said that the family of deceased co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar was also escorted from Delhi to Kozhikode.

  Air India Plane Crash LATEST Updates

Deceased co-pilot’s wife expected to give birth in 15-17 days

Cousin of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar who lost his life in the Kozhikode plane crash said that his wife is expected to to deliver their child in the next 15-17 days. “Akhilesh joined Air India in 2017 and had come home last, before lockdown,” said the cousin.

He was a very humble, polite, & well-behaved person. His wife is expecting to deliver their child in the next 15-17 days. He joined Air India in 2017 and had come home last, before lockdown: Basudev, cousin of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar who lost his life in the #KozikhodePlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/seIqt4VfWi

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 8, 2020

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Centre announces Rs 10 lakh interim relief for kin of deceased 

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Saturday said that a probe into the incident is underway. He announced Rs 10 lakh interim relief for the kin of each of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.

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People line up outside hospitals to donate blood for injured passengers

Beginning with the news of landslide in Idukki district that killed 18 people, Kerala met with the second adversity on Friday when an Air India Express flight from Dubai crashed on landing at the Kozhikode International Airport, killing 18 people and injuring over 125. 

Visuals of people  queuing up outside blood banks in various hospitals in Kozhikode, to ensure that the injured passengers receive best treatment, have surfaced. Despite heavy rains, people volunteering to prepare food packages for distressed passengers show that humanity persists even in the face of a pandemic.

People, wearing masks and disposable gloves, lining up outside blood banks have evoked praises on social media. 

All flights that were to land at Karippur are to land at Kannur following the jet crash. Since the flights are to reach late and at odd hours, the youth of Mattannur in Kannur are busy arranging food for the passengers. pic.twitter.com/2SyAyGDlD7

— Alinda Merrie Jan (@alindaMjan) August 7, 2020

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Too early to comment on cause of Kozhikode plane crash: DGCA chief 

After the Digital Field Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder were retrieved on Saturday, DGCA chief Arun Kumar said that it was too early to comment whether the plane crash at Kozhikode International Airport happened due to a technical glitch or a human error.

“The team is flying to Delhi and investigation will proceed. It is too early to tell at this point on whether it was technical error or human error. It’s a 8,000 ft long runway, which is sufficient for a Boeing 737 to land. The aircraft landed 3,000 ft off that means something; a judgment call,” News18 quoted Kumar as saying.

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Kerala CM, Governor visit Kozhikode Medical College

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan & Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visit Kozhikode Medical College, where several passengers who were injured in #KozhikodePlaneCrash are admitted.

18 people, including two pilots, lost their lives in the incident. pic.twitter.com/E7PorqdqAx

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2020

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Hardeep Singh Puri reaches Kozhikode 

Reached Kozhikode to take stock of the status and implementation of relief measures after the air accident last evening. Will hold consultations with senior civil aviation officials and professionals, said Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation Minister.

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‘Angels Of Air India’, team of grief counselors files to Kozhikode

An Air India special assistance team has reached Kerala to provide support and assistance to families members of the 190 people who were on board the Air India Express flight that crashed at airport in Kerala’s Kozhikode on Friday evening, NDTV reported.

Called “Angels of Air India”, this special assistance team had come together after the Mangalore air crash in May 2010 as well to offer assistance, including grief counselling to family members of the deceased.

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Pilot raises safety concerns with tabletop runway at Kozhikode 

A pilot at IndiGo on Saturday took to Facebook to list down specific safety concerns he experienced a the Kozhikode International Airport. Pilot Anand Mohan Raj in a social media post that has gone viral said that the airport’s “runway guidance lighting system is very poor” and “braking conditions is not monitored regularly”.

He also wrote that it’s 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 and Capt Akhilesh. heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their dear ones (sic),” he said.

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Deceased passenger tested COVID-19 positive, says education minister

One of the 18 passengers, who died in the Kozhikode plane crash on Friday, has tested positive for COVID-19, Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel told PTI. She said that the samples of the passenger, Sudheer Varyath (45), were sent for testing and it has returned positive for the disease.

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AI Express plane touched down near taxiway, 1,000 metres from beginning of runway

The Air India Express plane touched down near a taxiway that is around 1,000 metres from the beginning of the runway at the Kozhikode International airport, according to Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The pilot of the flight could not sight the runway in the first landing attempt due to heavy rains.

An AAI spokesperson said that runway 28 was in use and in the first landing attempt, the pilot could not sight the runway and requested for runway 10.

Citing information from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC), the spokesperson said the aircraft touched down near taxiway ‘C’, which is approximately 1,000 metres from the beginning of runway 10. The total length of the runway is 2,700 metres.

– PTI

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Kerala governor, CM and minister leave for Kozhikode airport 

Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan and a team of Cabinet Ministers led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan have left Thiruvananthapuram for Karipur in Kozhikode in a special flight operated by Air India.

The team includes Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta, State Police Chief Loknath Behera, Health Minister KK Shailaja, Industries Minister EP Jayarajan, Minister for Ports Ramachandran Kadannapally, Minister for Transport AK Saseendran and Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan.

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Digital flight data and cockpit voice recorders retrieved

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has recovered Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder from the aircraft. These will be brought to Delhi for further investigation, ANI reported.

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Latest visuals from Kozikhode airport

#WATCH Latest visuals from Kozhikode International Airport in Karipur, Kerala where an #AirIndiaExpress flight crash-landed yesterday.

18 people, including two pilots, have lost their lives in the incident. pic.twitter.com/r1YRiIkbrM

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2020

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Two passengers of Air India Express flight test COVID-19 positive

Two passengers who were on board the Air India Express flight that crashed at Kozhikode International Airport on Friday have tested positive for COVID-19, according to News18.

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Kerala govt to conduct COVID-19 tests for those involved in rescue ops at Kozhikode 

Those who were involved in rescue operations at Kozhikode Airport should go into self-quarantine. State Government to conduct COVID-19 tests of all, said health minister KK Shailaja on Saturday.

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Part of aircraft torn apart during rescue ops: V Muraleedharan

MoS external affairs V Muraleedharan, who reached the Kozhikode plane crash site early on Saturday, said he saw debris and the aircraft broken into two portions. He added that some part of aircraft was torn apart during rescue operations.

“Inspection is underway and the the DGCA has called for an inquiry,” he told ANI.

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Efforts underway to retrieve cockpit voice recorder

A DGCA official on Saturday said that the Digital Flight Data Recorder was recovered from the aircraft, while the floorboard was being cut to retrieve the Cockpit Voice Recorder, ANI reported.

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Captain Sathe who died in Kozhikode plane crash was former IAF pilot

Captain Deepak Sathe, pilot of the Air India Express flight who died after the plane crashed at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport on Friday, was an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA).

Eighteen people were killed and several injured when a Dubai-Calicut Air India Express flight with 191 passengers and crew on board overshot the runway and fell into a valley, breaking into two portions, on Friday evening.

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‘Runway 10 of Kozhikode airport is unsafe’: Expert warned 9 years ago 

The Kozhikode International airport in Kerala is unsafe and landing should not be allowed especially during wet conditions, Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a member of a safety advisory committee constituted, had warned more than nine years ago, Times of India reported.

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Civil Aviation Ministry, AAI, others to meet in Delhi today

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Ministry senior officials, Airports Authority of India and Air Navigation Service members will Saturday hold a meeting in Delhi over the crash landing of the Air India Express flight at Kerala’s Kozhikode International airport on Friday.