Kozhikode Plane Crash: Probe on, final report to be placed before parliamentary panel

Officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture on Monday that probe is underway regarding the plane accident at Kozhikode airport and its final report will be placed before the panel, sources said.

The sources said that some members sought a report on the Kozhikode plane crash incident in the meeting of the panel.

Officials from the ministry said that probe is on and they will be back before the panel with the final report, the sources told ANI.

The impact of coronavirus pandemic on the tourism sector and on the civil aviation sector was on the agenda of the meeting.

Members also wanted to know about the accident involving the Air India Express IX-1344 plane at Kozhikode earlier this month and they asked about efforts to avert such accidents in the future, the sources said.

BJP MP TG Venkatesh, who is the chairman of the committee, was not present. It was chaired by another party member Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

The Accident Aircraft Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has constituted a high panel committee to probe the accident.

Last week on Friday night, the ill-fated Air India Express flight IX-1344 veered off the runway while attempting to land at the Karipur international airport in Kerala's Kozhikode, which resulted in the aircraft being shattered into pieces and the deaths of 18 people and several who sustained massive injuries. Moreover, out of the 18 who died, it has now come to light that 14 are adults and four are children.

Notably, locals reached the crash site within 5-7 minutes of the accident. The Deputy Commandant of the Kozhikode Airport allowed the locals to initiate rescue attempts upon considering the sheer number of passengers who could have been potentially affected in the crash. The injured were later rushed to medical treatment centers as soon as formal help arrived.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri personally took stock of the situation arising due to the accident in Kozhikode An inquiry has also been ordered under the Aircraft Act, the findings of which are to be made public.