Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan arrive at Kozhikode plane crash site

Image courtesy:twitter/@HardeepSpuri

Kozhikode: Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and various of his cabinet colleagues arrived at the Karipur international airport on Saturday where the Air India Express flight crashed into three parts on Friday night.

Soon after visiting the accident site, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan visited the injured who are admitted to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode.

Taking to Twitter, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, ''My heart goes out to the families & friends of the 18 people who lost their lives in the air accident involving @FlyWithIX Flight IX-1344 in Kozhikode last evening & offer my heartfelt condolences. Reasons for the mishap are being investigated.''

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— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 8, 2020

"Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated aircraft have been retrieved. AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) is conducting investigations," said Puri.

The investigation team has found a black box in the crashed Air India Express flight from Dubai to Karipur. The digital flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were also recovered. This information will help the investigation team to find out how the plane crashed.

These devices record how high the aircraft was just before the crash, its position, speed, and communication between the pilot and air traffic control. The critical information obtained from these devices can be helpful in investigating the cause of an accident.

After visiting the site Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan told media that 18 people have died in the crash which includes 14 adults and 4 children. He further informed that 149 injured are undergoing treatment in hospital and 23 people have been discharged.

Civil Aviation Minister informed that the captain of the ill-fated flight had landed on this (karippur/kozhikode) airfield 27 times

The Air India Express flight, returning from Dubai under the Vande Bharat mission, crashed at the "table top" Kozhikode airport leaving 18 of the 190 people aboard dead, including the pilot, Capt DV Sathe and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar.

According to information now received there was trouble with the landing gear and that`s why the experienced pilot after aborting his first attempt to land, lifted the aircraft and flew for about 15 minutes to empty the fuel tank and then landed.

Officials say the plane was speeding at the time of landing and crashed on the runway. The pilot tried to land the plane twice but was unable to do so due to bad weather. The pilot landed after circling the airport for some time. However, the plane skidded off the runway and plunged to a depth of 35 feet.