Kerala Airplane Crash: 18 folks together with the pilots have been killed within the crash in Kozhikode.
New Delhi:
Constructed on elevated terrains and principally having little area for final minute manoeuvre, tabletop runways at airports at instances pose challenges for pilots whereas touchdown their plane. And Air India Specific planes have crashed not less than twice on such runways in little over a decade.
At the very least 5 airports, together with at Kozhikode in Kerala the place an Air India Express aircraft crashed on Friday, have tabletop runways.
Tabletop runways are constructed on hilly or elevated terrains and there may very well be additionally low-lying areas adjoining to such runways or gorges in the direction of the tip.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Arvind Singh stated tabletop runways are there at 4 airports operated by it. They’re at Kozhikode, Mangalore (Karnakata), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) and Pakyong (Sikkim).
The Lengpui airport in Mizoram, which is with the state authorities, additionally has a tabletop runway.
State-owned AAI operates 137 aerodromes, together with those by way of joint ventures.
A senior Air India pilot stated that automation may not assist in the case of tabletop runways. There may be additionally the problem of optical phantasm, the place the runway would possibly appear to be nearer whereas it will truly be additional away, he added.
The pilot additionally harassed that there’s not a lot buffer zone not like regular runways.
There are tabletop runways in several elements of the world and solely when the runway size is much less, there may very well be points with touchdown of plane. Within the case of Kozhikode airport, the runway is about 9,000 ft which is sort of lengthy, in response to a senior regulatory official.
Tabletop runways are there at some airports, each in north and south India, he added.
In response to the official, pilots are typically informed about such runways and numerous restrictions.
Within the Courtroom of Inquiry report concerning the aircraft crash at Mangalore airport in Might 2010, it was talked about that there have been three tabletop airports within the nation from the place scheduled flights function at Mangalore, Kozhikode and Lengpui.
“Due to the undulating terrain and constraints of area, these airfields require further ability and warning whereas finishing up flight operations. The hazard of undershooting and overshooting, specifically, can result in grave conditions, as was the case on this accident,” the report had stated.
It had additionally stated that tabletop runways have an issue of entry roads across the airfield, which can must be utilized in case of plane accidents.
Citing ICAO information, the report had additionally stated that a lot of the accidents happen throughout touchdown and take-off phases, with a lot of runway excursions and plane overrunning into the overshoot space.
“Contemplating the big momentum of those plane, a downward slope within the overrun space can worsen the result. It’s subsequently really useful that such downward slopes as acquiring in Mangalore be delivered to the identical stage of the runway floor. This additionally must be ensured in any respect tabletop airports within the nation,” the report had stated.
Concerning the Air India Specific aircraft that crashed on Friday, AAI stated it had touched down round 1,000 metres from the start of the runway on the Kozhikode airport earlier than breaking apart into two items. The Boeing 737-800 plane whereas touchdown overshot the runway and went down 35 ft right into a slope. The pilot of the flight — IX-1344 — couldn’t sight the runway within the first touchdown try resulting from heavy rains.
An AAI spokesperson stated that runway 28 was in use and within the first touchdown try the pilot couldn’t sight the runway and requested for runway 10.
The pilot then steered the aircraft to runway 10 and got here from the opposite facet, in response to an AAI official.
Citing info from the Air Site visitors Controller (ATC), the spokesperson stated the plane touched down close to taxiway ‘C’, which is roughly 1,000 metres from the start of runway 10. The entire size of the runway is 2,700 metres. The spokesperson additionally stated that it was raining over the airfield and reported visibility on the time of touchdown was 2,000 metres.
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