Wet runway, over-speeding caused aircraft skidding at MIA: Sources
Mangaluru, Jul 1: A wet runway and over-speeding were the likely cause of the Air India Express flight veering off the taxiway after landing at the Mangaluru International Airport, airport sources said Monday.
The 183 passengers and crew on board the Dubai-Mangaluru flight were safe, the airport and airline had said in separate statements after the Sunday evening incident.
The airline has ordered an investigation into the episode.
The incident evoked memories of the air tragedy at the same airport on May 22, 2010 when an Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the tabletop runway and plunged into a gorge, killing 152 of the 160 passengers and all six crew members.
According to airport sources, weather-related problems due to heavy rain had forced the aircraft to go around on Sunday when it was about 1,000 feet from the ground and it landed safely on the second attempt.
After skidding off the taxiway, the aircraft moved a little further and got stuck in the mud when the pilot applied the brake.
All the 183 passengers and six crew on board were deplaned at the spot using a ladder platform.
Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) Director V V Rao said the plane may have skidded off the taxiway due to high speed, while the exact reason can be ascertained only after the probe.
He, however, said flight operations from the airport were not affected after the incident.
The flight INX 384, which departed from Dubai at 12.39 pm local time, landed at the airport here at 5.35 pm.
While the plane did not overshoot the runway, the mishap occurred when the aircraft vacated the runway and entered the taxiway towards the terminal, the sources said.
The Air Traffic Control observed that the aircraft was moving at a higher speed when it skidded, they said.
Some passengers said the aircraft shook violently before coming to a halt.
U T Khader, who is the Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge minister, urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident.
The probe into the 2010 crash had found that the captain misjudged the height while landing, resulting in the flight overshooting the runway located on a plateau.
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BJP workers allegedly attack children during Christmas carol roadshow in Kerala’s Palakkad: Reports
Palakkad: A group of children celebrating Christmas through a carol roadshow was allegedly attacked by BJP workers in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Sunday night.
According to local reports, the incident occurred in Pudussery area of Palakkad, where over 25 children, mostly aged around 13, were moving from house to house singing Christmas carols. Reports state that a BJP worker identified as Ashwin Raj, along with others, allegedly assaulted the children and vandalised their musical equipment.
According to the police and eyewitness accounts, the children were using a band set that belonged to a local CPI(M) office, which had the party’s name written on it.
Allegedly objecting to this, the accused and his associates reportedly lured the children on the pretext of offering them money and then assaulted them. The band set used by the children was also smashed.
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The Town Police have arrested Ashwin Raj, a local BJP worker who has been named as the prime accused in the case. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining accused who fled the scene.
Speaking to the media, one of the injured children said, “We were using the band just for fun. When they saw that it had CPM written on it, they took us aside and beat us.”
"We had given the band set that was in our office out of love when the children asked for it. The fact that these young children, who do not know the intricacies of politics, were attacked shows the criminal mentality of the BJP workers," local CPIM leaders expressed outrage.
A police officer told PTI that the arrested accused is already booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
The sections invoked include Section 192 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), police added.
