14 Dead, Including Pilot as Dubai-Calicut Air India Plane Overshoots Runway, Breaks in Two

An Air India Express Boeing 737 from Dubai overshot the runway, crashed through a wall, plunged 30 feet down and split in two while landing at Kozhikode (Calicut) Airport in India’s Kerala state at 1940 hours IST on Friday.

Till reports last came in 14 people were killed including one of the two pilots as the aircraft of Flight IX-1344 with 191 on board skidded off the runway amid heavy rain, police and emergency services officials told the media.

The flight was part of the Vande Bharat programme that has been bringing back Indians from abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While most on board have been evacuated, four people are still stuck inside. At least 50 are injured, including 15 in serious condition. All injured have been taken to hospital, authorities said.

There were 174 passengers, 10 Infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members on board the aircraft.

Television images from the site showed part of the fuselage of the Boeing 737 jet ripped apart with debris strewn all over. There was no fire on board as could be seen from the images.

The incident took place amid very heavy rain in the area around 7:40 pm. Emergency services personnel were seen working in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water.

The Kozhikode airport is at an elevation with a steep drop at one end. The aircraft had circled the runway twice before coming into land.

The Kozhikode (Calicut) airport runway is listed as among the most beautiful runways in India, according to Air India Express website.

See also: Report on Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) technology to ensure the safety of the Calicut airport’s tabletop runway.