Probe on AI Express crash at Kozhikode: Non-adherence to SOP by pilot a possible trigger

A year-long investigation into the Air India Express accident at Kozhikode airport in August final yr has revealed non-adherence to the usual working process by the pilot-in-command because the possible reason for the aircraft crash. In addition to this, 16 components together with a “faulty” human sources coverage on the disinvestment-bound airline, poor crew useful resource administration, lack of updates for the dynamic climate adjustments and absence of “clear cut guidelines” by the aviation regulator on monitoring of lengthy landings contributed to the crash that killed 21 individuals, together with the 2 pilots.
The Boeing 737-800 plane from Dubai to Kozhikode with 190 individuals on board on August 7 final yr overshot the tabletop runway at its vacation spot and broke into items, in what was its second try at touchdown in antagonistic climate situations. This flight was working underneath the Central authorities’s Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian residents stranded overseas on account of curtailed worldwide flights on account of Covid pandemic.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in its 281-page investigation report launched on Saturday, famous that the pilot flying, who on this case was the pilot-in-command, continued an unstabilised method and landed past the landing zone, “half way down the runway”, regardless of a name by the co-pilot to ‘Go Around’ — one thing that warranted a compulsory go round. In the report, laying down the potential reason for the crash, the AAIB has additionally famous the investigation group was of the opinion that “the role of systemic failures as a contributory factor cannot be overlooked in this accident”.

The investigation physique has issued suggestions looking for change in practices throughout 5 organisations — Air India Express, the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Indian Meteorological and the AAIB itself.
“A large number of similar accidents/incidents that have continued to take place, more so in AIXL (Air India Express), reinforce existing systemic failures within the aviation sector…these usually occur due to prevailing safety culture that give rise to errors, mistakes and violation of routine tasks performed by people operating within the system. Hence, the contributory factors enumerated below include both the immediate causes and the deeper or systemic causes,” it added.
For instance, the investigators have noticed that the pilot-in-command “seemed anxious to return to Kozhikode in time and hence his actions and decisions were steered by a ‘misplaced’ motivation to land back at Kozhikode as scheduled”. This was a consequence of “faulty AIXL HR policy which does not take into account operational requirement while assigning permanent base to its Captains”, leading to unavailability of enough variety of captains at Kozhikode.
In its suggestions, the AAIB has famous that the airline to consider the quantum of flights originating from respective bases and accordingly assign them as ‘home base’, particularly for the captains. At Kozhikode on the time of the crash, there was only one captain to 26 first officers.
On the a part of the DGCA, the investigation group has noticed that suggestions made with regard to Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) anomalies, submit Air India Express 2010 Mangalore accident, haven’t been addressed for the final 10 years. It has really useful that the regulator revise sure laws to take away sure ambiguities. For the AAIB, the probe group really useful offering satisfactory manpower on the investigation physique, whereas for the AAI, it recommended a number of coaching measures and implementing radar upgrades to supply higher steerage for pilots in antagonistic climate situations.

For the IMD, the report famous that the tower met officer (TMO), was not current on the ATC tower on the time of the accident, regardless of the climate situations mandating the officer’s presence there. “It is recommended that the presence of TMO be ensured in the tower along with DATCO (duty air traffic controller), especially during dynamic weather situations,” it stated.