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Hindustan Times
16 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Mangaluru survivors recount 2010 plane crash tragedy amid recent Air India mishap
As India grapples with renewed concerns over air safety following a recent Air India incident, memories of one of the country's worst aviation tragedies have resurfaced in Karnataka's Mangaluru. It's been 15 years since the fatal crash of Air India Express flight IX 812 — a day seared into the minds of survivors and the families of 158 people who lost their lives. Also Read - 'They solve Bengaluru's traffic crisis': Chorus grows online as Karnataka bans bike taxis For K Pradeep, one of the eight survivors of the 2010 crash, the passage of time has not dulled the memory. Now working as a civil contractor in Mangaluru, he returns every year on May 22 to the crash memorial at Kulur. There, in quiet remembrance, he lays flowers, prays, and reflects on what he calls his miraculous escape. 'I believe it was the blessings from my parents and their good deeds that protected me,' Pradeep told PTI. He still recalls the horror when the aircraft overran the runway and plunged into a deep gorge, bursting into flames. Another survivor, Usman Farooq, who today serves with an ambulance service, echoes a similar sentiment. He believes divine intervention saved him. Farooq, who had been seated near the aircraft's wing, said that part of the fuselage broke apart at just the right moment — creating an opening through which he managed to escape. Also Read - Bengaluru climbs to 14th spot in Global Startup Ecosystem Rankings 2025 'I see my work in emergency services as a way to repay life's gift. I was saved for a reason,' he said. On May 22, 2010, Air India Express flight IX 812, a Boeing 737 operating on the Dubai–Mangaluru route, crash-landed at Mangaluru International Airport. The aircraft touched down far beyond the intended point — nearly 5,200 feet down an 8,000-foot runway — leaving little room for braking. As it hurtled past the runway's edge, the aircraft fell into a steep gorge and broke apart. Of the 166 people on board, 158 died. It remains one of India's most devastating aviation disasters. A detailed inquiry by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) concluded that the primary cause was human error. The captain, investigators found, had ignored repeated alerts from both the co-pilot and the aircraft's ground proximity warning system, continuing with an unstable approach. It was also revealed that the captain had been asleep for a significant part of the flight and was likely suffering from 'sleep inertia' — a condition that impairs decision-making after abruptly waking up. The Court of Inquiry, headed by Air Marshal B.N. Gokhale, affirmed these findings and added that infrastructure issues at the airport contributed to the tragedy. One key concern was that the localiser antenna structure — which the plane crashed into — was not built to break upon impact, violating international aviation safety norms.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
11A miracle brings back memories, traumas for past crash survivors and their brush with death
11A miracle brings back memories, traumas for past crash survivors and their brush with death They survived aviation disasters at Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Kozhikode, but say the physical and emotional scars still linger The man in seat 11A's escape from the wreckage of flight AI171 which crashed in Ahmedabad may seem extraordinary but not to Joel Prathap D'Souza, who survived the 2010 Mangaluru plane crash . Like Vishwakumar Ramesh of Seat 11A who survived the June 12 crash, D'Souza, then 24, managed to jump out moments before the plane caught fire. 'After it crashed into the forest, a small crack opened in the body of the aircraft. I pulled it open with my hands and jumped through it. Five others followed me,' recalls D'Souza, who was flying home to Mangaluru from Dubai when Air India Express flight IX 812 overshot Mangalore's table-top runway and plunged down a steep hillside, killing 158 of the 166 people onboard.
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Mangaluru plane crash survivors recall horror, gratitude 15 years on
Mangaluru , Fifteen years after the tragic crash of Air India Express flight IX 812 in Mangaluru airport, which killed 158 people, a survivor of the accident, K Pradeep, still recalls the day with solemn reflection and quiet gratitude. That aircraft overran the runway on May 22, 2010 and crashed. Pradeep, now a civil contractor in the city, visits the crash memorial at Kulur every May 22. He lays flowers at the plaque, stands in silence for the lives lost, and offers prayers. "It was the charity work done by my parents and their blessings that saved me,' he told PTI, recalling the horrific moment when the Boeing 737 aircraft failed to stop and plunged into a gorge. After paying tribute, he also visits temples to thank the divine for what he calls a miraculous escape. Another survivor, Usman Farooq, who now works with an ambulance service, also believes his survival was due to divine intervention. He remembers how the portion of the aircraft near the wing, where he was seated, broke apart just in time to allow his escape. Farooq said he owes his life to the Almighty and sees his work in emergency services as a way of giving back. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation , which investigated the crash, attributed the cause primarily to human error. The inquiry found that the aircraft touched down approximately 5,200 feet down an 8,000-foot-long runway, leaving insufficient distance to bring the aircraft to a halt. Despite repeated warnings from the co-pilot and alerts from the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System , the captain continued with an unstabilised approach. Investigators also revealed that the commander of the aircraft had been asleep during a portion of the flight and was likely experiencing 'sleep inertia,' a state of cognitive impairment, at the time of landing. The Court of Inquiry, led by Air Marshal B N Gokhale largely supported the DGCA's conclusions, highlighting pilot error as the primary cause. However, it also pointed to systemic failures. The report noted that the rigid structure housing the localiser antenna at the airport was not frangible, contrary to international civil aviation guidelines. This contributed to the aircraft breaking apart upon overshooting the runway. The inquiry also mentioned that audits conducted by the DGCA in previous years, including one in 2007 and another shortly before the crash in 2010, had flagged several deficiencies in Air India Express's training and safety oversight mechanisms. Unfortunately, corrective measures were not implemented in time. Emergency response efforts at the crash site were hindered by inadequate access routes and limited firefighting resources. Survivors and emergency responders later noted that these deficiencies delayed rescue operations and may have cost lives. In the aftermath of the crash, the DGCA initiated safety audits of other critical airports across the country. The regulatory body also formed the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council to improve oversight. Reforms were proposed to enhance runway safety, especially at tabletop airports like Mangaluru, and to reinforce crew training, especially on go-around procedures. Some of these measures have been implemented, but infrastructural gaps at many airports remain a concern.
Indian Express
a day ago
- General
- Indian Express
Horrors from another crash from 15 years ago: ‘I can't travel alone, get panic attacks when planes during landing'
As soon as Joel Pratap D'Souza, 39, read the news of the June 12 air crash in Ahmedabad, he was transported back to the middle seat in row 23 of Air India Express flight IX 812 on May 22, 2010. Over 15 years ago, Air India Express flight IX 812, which had taken off from Dubai, overshot the Mangalore International Airport runway, fell off the cliff and burst into flames. Of the 166 people onboard that day, 158, including six crew members, died. D'Souza, a resident of Mangalore, was among the eight survivors. 'I recall the crash taking place at the time of landing. The crash had led to a crack in the plane's body. I remember struggling with the seatbelt but I managed to remove it and get out of the burning plane. I ended up breaking my leg and suffering from a slipped disc that day — injuries that still bother me to this day,' D'Souza, who lives in Dubai and works as supervisor with a private firm, tells The Indian Express over telephone. He says his body doesn't let him forget the incident. 'Every step I take reminds me of that day. I cannot run like the others or lift heavy items. I also suffer from anxiety and nightmares due to the crash. The news of the Ahmedabad crash has just made them worse,' adds D'Souza. Though he says he was given a compensation of Rs 48 lakh, the 'promise of a job at Air India never materialised'. A year after the 2010 crash, D'Souza boarded his first flight since the crash. 'I had no choice. I was working in Dubai at the time of the crash. I had to return to work after my treatment. Forget that first journey after the crash, I don't travel alone to this day. Each time the plane starts landing, I get panic attacks. I don't think I will be able to overcome this fear in this lifetime,' he says. Like D'Souza, Koolikkunnu Krishnan, 62, was among the survivors of the 2010 Mangalore air crash. At the time of his 'second birth', Krishnan, who had been working with a private firm in Dubai for nine years in 2010, says he was returning home to Kannur in Kerala after a gap of two years. 'I was in row 17, near the left wing. The flight landed but then it started shaking and swaying. Cries erupted all around. Then, the plane hit something — I thought it had rammed the terminal — and the cabin filled with smoke. Just as I thought death was certain, I looked up at the roof of the plane. A shred of light was seeping in through a crack in the fuselage,'' says Krishnan, a resident of Kasargod in Kerala. That crack in the fuselage, he says, led to his 'second birth'. Krishnan says he slipped out of that crack and clambered over the rain-soaked fuselage. 'It was raining. Since there was nothing to hold on to, I fell from the plane's body and got stuck on a tree. A few others like me had managed to exit the plane, which was on fire,' he says. Back on the ground, Krishnan recalls that the other survivors and him hobbled through the shrubby valley to reach a nearby railway track. 'At the track, the locals took us to a hospital. Everything was over in a matter of seconds. I only realised about the gravity of the tragedy once I was at the hospital,' he says who was in the hospital for a week. The months that followed were tough on Krishnan who runs a grocery store in Kasargod. 'Sleep eluded me for weeks. Even the thought of sitting on a bus scared me. I refused to leave the house for months after the incident. Eventually, I needed counseling to overcome my fears,'' he says. And overcome he did — by boarding a flight two years later from Mangalore airport. 'I went to Qatar on a visitor's visa. Since 2010, I have flown thrice — all from Mangalore airport. I last flew in 2017,' he adds. Seated a few rows behind Krishnan's row 17 and one row in front of D'Souza's row 23 in the plane that day was Kannur's K P Mayankutty. 'That seat number — 22-F — is forever etched in my mind,' he says. Then 48, Mayankutty had been working as a public relations officer (PRO) with a Dubai-based shipping firm for seven years and was flying home for his annual one-month leave. 'I had a window seat. As soon as the plane landed, it started jerking badly. Then, it hit something heavy and rolled down the hill. I started crying. One side of the plane was on fire and the flames were spreading fast. Just as I thought the smoke would kill me, I noticed the crack near my seat. Without thinking twice, I jumped out. A second's delay and I would have been reduced to ashes,'' he recalls. Mayankutty says he received a compensation of Rs 5 lakh from Air India for his head injury and five-day hospital stay. For six months after the crash, Mayankutty refused to fly. In fact, he says, he even told his employer in Dubai that 'I was not coming back'. He says, 'All sounds left me frightened — a machine, an engine, even a blender.' Then, a year later, Mayankutty had to fly back to Dubai. 'My son runs a printing press in Dubai and asked me to visit him. I took an Emirates flight from Kozhikode (in Kerala). Since the crash, my wife always flies with me. We had plans to visit our son in Dubai this month. After reading about the Ahmedabad tragedy, I have postponed it,' he says.
