An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 suffered a runway excursion on landing at Kozhikode-Calicut Airport, India, and broke in two. Both pilots and seventeen passengers died in the accident.
The aircraft, registered VT-AXH, was operating flight IX-1344 from Dubai Airport (DXB), United Arab Emirates, to Kozhikode-Calicut Airport (CCJ), India. It was carrying 184 passengers, two pilots and five working crew members. The flight was repatriating Indian nationals who had been stranded by the coronavirus pandemic.
After a first aborted approach, the Boeing 737-800 landed in difficult weather conditions, with heavy rain reported at the time, and exceeded the runway. As it fell down a valley, the nose of the aircraft met the ground first, crushing the cockpit, and the fuselage broke down in two parts.
The two pilots and seventeen passengers were killed. 137 passengers were injured, including 14 in critical condition.
An investigation was opened by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Both the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) were recovered.
Air India Express flight 1344 landed in heavy rain and overshot the runway. Pilot and 2 passengers have reportedly been killed in the accident. https://t.co/7yxGnOCwED pic.twitter.com/8s4s77uaDh
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@breakingavnews) August 7, 2020