New Delhi (TAN): Air India Express flight IX 452 from Abu Dhabi to Kochi had ended up in an open drain after landing during heavy rains because, among other reasons, the senior pilot ignored the warnings and suggestions of his co-pilot, who was 30 years younger to him and had 13,000 hours less flying experience.
The incident took place at the South Indian airport on September 4, 2017.
Media reports said the authorities had initially blamed bad weather for the incident but investigations later revealed that the senior male pilot ignored the warnings and suggestions of his female co-pilot. Aviation authorities have since advised Air India Express not to pair pilots with a wide age gap.
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“There is not just one reason behind an accident. In the report, we tried to go to the exact details and found that probable cause of accident was incorrect judgement taken by PIC (pilot-in-command). Heavy rain and reduced visibility were contributory factors,” a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told Hindustan Times newspaper. DGCA is India’s aviation watchdog.
Three persons were injured in the incident. The aircraft, which had 102 passengers on board, also suffered significant damage, especially the front landing gear which completely collapsed.
According to the HT report, the co-pilot informed her senior that she could not see the runway markings properly due to bad weather and asked him to go extremely slow. She had also requested for a “follow-me” vehicle which is used to guide aircrafts in case of poor visibility. However, there was no response from the pilot-in-command.
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The plane took a 90m early turn before the taxiway and ended up into open rain water drain.
“…The coordination was lacking from PIC’s side. PIC was found alcohol-positive twice and his licence was suspended by DGCA for 3 months from 09.01.2016. The pilot had operated previous flight a day before and as per his statement, he reached hotel around midnight and was not able to sleep. In cockpit voice recorder, there is noise of PIC yawning in the flight,” a DGCA report said.
