Reports Indicate The Airplane Overshot The Runway On Landing

ANN Update 5.22.2010 0945

News reports now indicate that the initial casualty estimates in the Air India Express accident which occurred early Saturday morning local time in Mangalore were correct. The Associated Press now reports that 158 people were killed in the crash, and that 8 have survived.

One survivor of the accident said there was a loud bang, and then the plane caught fire. Another said the airplane split in two, and he was able to jump out of the wreckage before an explosion set off a much larger fire.

The pilot was reportedly a British citizen with over 10,000 hours, which included 26 landings at the Bajpe Airport about 19 miles from Mangalore. The Indian  co-pilot reportedly had 66 landings there among his 3,750 hours of experience.

The runway, which sits on top of a mesa and has a steep drop into a valley, is 8,000 feet long, and has a spillover area of about 300 feet constructed of sand designed to stop or slow a plane which overshoots the end of the runway.

Original Story: An Air India Express B737-800 carrying 167 passengers, including 4 infants, and 6 crew has overshot the runway on landing at Mangalore airport, and at least 60 people are feared dead, though details are sketchy.

File Photo

The accident occurred about 0630 Saturday morning in India. The flight was arriving from Dubai and reportedly overshot the runway on what is described as a "table top" airport located on top of a hill by local media reports. Weather conditions were reported as "poor" at the time of the accident.

Multiple media sources including the newspaper "The Hindu" report that the airplane went down in a wooded valley about 10 kilometers beyond the airport that is relatively inaccessible. However fire crews have reportedly reached the scene.

Early reports were that 160 were feared lost in the accident, and one source claimed villagers had rescued 6 people from the accident scene.

The Times of India reports that the aircraft hit a fence and went beyond the boundary wall of the airport, with the left wing catching fire.

S N A Zaidi, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Directorate (DGCA) said the agency had received "only preliminary reports regarding the accident."  ANN will update this story as more details become available.

FMI: www.dgca.gov.in