Unbuckling of seat belts early on Air India Express flight IX 812 saves 7 people

The trauma of being alive after such a horrific crash was severe than being dead was the general opinion of the seven survivors of the Dubai-Mangalore Air India Express flight IX 812 that killed 158 passengers on May 22, 2010.

While they were able to recount their trauma over the past one year after the crash, whereabouts of the eighth survivor is not known.  All the seven survivors, Ummar Farooq of Ullal, Usman Puttur, Joel Pratap, Pradeep Kotian of Mangalore, Krishnan of Kasargod, Mayan Kutty of Kannur and another Krishnan also of Kannur, attribute only one reason for their survival in this horrific crash — they had unfastened their seat belts even when the first announcement of approaching Mangalore was being done by the flight attendants.

“I do not know what had come over me that day. I had unbuckled the seat belt even before the landing. Usually in all flights, I am the last one to get out. That day, I was in a hurry for no reason. But when I reflect at the incidents on that fateful day, I thank my impudence,” said Pradeep Kotian.

“After I watched the plane’s wing being ripped off, I found a large crack about 20 feet from me, I was already feeling dizzy as the acrid smell of burning fuel was all over the plane. As I wriggled out through the crack, a gush of fire had engulfed me but I jumped with all the strength I could muster and walked towards the railway track from the burning plane,” he said.
Umar Farooq recalled unbuckling the seat belt much before. “I have this habit of ignoring safety measures. Many times I have been admonished by flight pursers. But this time, that habit saved my life,” he said.

In the case of Mayan Kutty, the seat had ripped off from its base and the belt had come off. “This hastened my exit from the burning plane. I was thrown off the plane along with my seat into the bushes. I was the least injured. I guess this was due to the fact that my seat belt had come off,” Kutty said.

“It is true that international in-flight safety norms do make it mandatory for passengers to fasten seat belts while take off and landing, but these are two phases of flight which are most prone to crashes and fire,” said the regional fire chief HS Varadaraj.

“In my experience of battling three air crash fires — first at HAL airport in Bangalore in 1999, second in Yelahanka air base and third at Kenjar-Bajpe last year — I have found out that seat belts pin the passengers to the seat and in the case of a crash, many passengers fumble to unbuckle themselves. But the time available for them is just 160 seconds before the fire engulfs the passenger bay right from the tail section to the cockpit. At the crash site of the IX 812 when we were involved in the rescue, we found many passengers still fastened to their seats,” Varadaraj said.

“A technique must be developed so that on impact or onset of fire or smoke, the seat belts should come off automatically which can save many people from perishing in air crash fires,” said frequent flyer Jason D’Souza, a Dubai-based businessman.