Kozhikode AI plane crash: Non-adherence to SOP caused the incident

New Delhi [India] - An Air India Express’s B737-800 aircraft had overshot the runway last year on August 7 at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala.

The final report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) submitted to the Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA) highlighted that the major reason behind the Kozhikode plane crash was non-adherence to SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) by the pilot in command (PIC).

The report highlighted the several loopholes behind the deadly crash of Air India Express that include pilot’s unstabilized approach, non-adherence to SOPs as the probable reason behind the Kozhikode plane crash.

“The probable cause of the accident was the non-adherence to (Standard Operating Procedure) by the PF (Pilot Flying), wherein, he continued an unstabilized approach and landed beyond the touchdown zone, halfway down the runway, in spite of ‘Go Around’ call by Pilot Monitoring which warranted a mandatory ‘Go Around’ and the failure of the pilot monitoring to take over controls and execute a ‘Go Around’,” the report said.

The report also stated that the pilot in command’s vast experience of landing at Kozhikode under similar weather conditions might have led to “overconfidence leading to complacency”.

“The PIC (Pilot in Command) had vast experience of landing at Kozhikode under similar weather conditions. This experience might have led to overconfidence leading to complacency and a state of reduced conscious attention that would have seriously affected his actions, decision making as well as CRM (Crew Resource Management),” it said.

However, the report which was submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) also said that the “investigation team is of the opinion that the role of systemic failures as a contributory factor cannot be overlooked in this accident.”

An Air India Express’s B737-800 aircraft had overshot the runway last year on August 7 at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala, and as a result, out of the total 190 on board, 19 passengers and two pilots died in the crash. 75 passengers and one cabin crew sustained serious injuries. 33 passengers and one cabin crew had minor injuries while 57 passengers and two cabin crew did not sustain any injuries due to the crash.

AAIB was set up in 2012 by the Government of India in accordance with amendments that came into existence in ‘Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPS)’ contained in ICAO Annex 13 and ICAO audit findings that aircraft accident investigation should be independent of a regulatory body to avoid any conflict of interest.

At present, Aurobindo Handa is the DG of AAIB. He is from the IAF and joined AAIB on deputation for the period of five years.

• India