Air India Express Boeing 737-8HG plane crash
Kozhikode, India
Updated on
The Boeing 737-800 operated by Air India Express took off from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a passenger flight to Kozhikode, India. 190 people were on board, including 184 passengers and 6 crewmembers. The plane landed on Kozhikode airport but went past the end of the runway and fell into a valley and broke apart. 17 occupants were killed, including both pilots and 15 passengers. Another 138 people on board were injured, including 15 seriously.
The plane was on a repatriation flight operated by the Indian government to transport Indian nationals during the coronavirus pandemic. The plane had attempted one approach about 20 minutes prior to the landing but had gone around. On the second attempt, the plane landed on the runway, but overran the end of the runway and fell into a 100-feet valley and broke in three pieces. It came to a stop about 250 meters/800 feet past the runway end. The Boeing 737 did not catch fire.
Kozhikode airport is described as a tabletop airport. It is located on a plateau with steep banks surrounding the 2845 meters/9330 feet long runway. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were quite bad, with low visibility, rain and few storms in the vicinity of the airport.