18 killed and 156 seriously injured as Air India Express flight skids off Calicut airport

An Air India Express Jet with 191 people on board has crashed at Calicut airport in the southern state of Kerala, killing 18 and injuring 156.

The aircraft en route from Dubai skidded off the runway and broke in two upon landing at Calicut airport, India’s aviation authority said.

Rescue efforts are progressing with emergency services at the scene.

Most people on board the Boeing 737 jet have been evacuated with at least 35 of them taken to hospital with injuries according to authorities. The airline said there were 184 passengers –including 10 children and seven crew members of which two were pilots onboard flight IX-1344 when it crashed at Calicut.

The flight was being operated by the government to repatriate Indians stuck overseas during the coronavirus crisis.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the plane fell into a valley and broke in two after skidding off the end of the runway. No fire was reported at the time of landing the aviation regulator said. The Incident occurred around 19:00 local time (14:30 BST) amid heavy rainfall in the region. There have been flooding and landslides as India’s monsoon season reaches its peak.

Investigators have found the black box of the plane that crashed at Calicut airport runway. Calicut has a table-top airport, a challenge for aircrew during difficult landings as they typically have steep drops at one or both ends of the runway. The aircraft fell 10 meters down. Fuel had leaked out so it was a miracle that the plane did not catch fire according to a senior emergency official at the scene. Air India Express pilot aborted landing twice due to tailwind and third time as the aircraft was at full speed while landing overshot the runway 10. It continued running to the end of the runway and fell down the ravine and broke down into two pieces.