<p>As Boeing got on board the probe into Friday’s Air India Express crash at the Kozhikode International Airport, the spotlight is likely to fall on multiple issues linked to the airport’s infrastructure and an apparently ‘tired’ pilot’s fatal decision to make a risky landing.</p>.<p>Only a thorough analysis of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder recovered from the crash site will be conclusive. But only a ‘well-rested’ commanding officer could take spot decisions quickly with a clear mind, a commercial pilot with over 15,000 hours of flying told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>Weather is an ever-changing phenomenon. “An airport that has no rain when the flight is approaching could suddenly be enveloped in a heavy downpour when the flight lands. The pilot is required to continuously update the weather data through the ATC. Only a well-rested pilot can judiciously use that data to make a sound decision.”</p>.<p>Aviation safety consultant Capt Mahesh Ranganathan had also indicated to this newspaper that the pilot might have been tired and taken the decision to land despite the risk due to a condition called ‘Press-on-itis’ in aviation terms.</p>.<p>This meant a decision to continue a planned destination even when significantly less risky alternatives existed. Technically, the consultant had said, the pilot should not have made another attempt. “But Press-on-itis could set in when he is tired.”</p>.<p>It is still unclear how much rest the pilot Capt Deepak Sathe got before he took control of the Boeing 737 aircraft from Dubai. But a pilot, who had frequently flown on the Middle East route, said the turnaround time for scheduled flights are too short for pilots to get proper rest.</p>.<p>Since the Air India Express flight was on a Vande Bharath mission, it is unlikely that the pilot had issues with rest time. The flight had taken off from Dubai as scheduled at 1.30 pm local time. However, it was not immediately clear whether the pilot had flown a flight from India to Dubai before commanding the Kozhikode-bound service.</p>.<p>If that were the case, a veteran pilot explained on condition of anonymity, “A pilot reports an hour and a half before for an international flight, flies the aircraft to Middle East for four hours plus, stays on the ground for an hour and a half and flies the aircraft back for another four-plus hour. That itself is 9:30 hours.”</p>.<p>Now add his preparation time at home and travel time to the airport. “And after landing, the time required to complete his customs and immigration and catch a cab to home to hit the bed. That’s at least another two minimum! That is 11:30 hours total, on duty.”</p>
<p>As Boeing got on board the probe into Friday’s Air India Express crash at the Kozhikode International Airport, the spotlight is likely to fall on multiple issues linked to the airport’s infrastructure and an apparently ‘tired’ pilot’s fatal decision to make a risky landing.</p>.<p>Only a thorough analysis of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder recovered from the crash site will be conclusive. But only a ‘well-rested’ commanding officer could take spot decisions quickly with a clear mind, a commercial pilot with over 15,000 hours of flying told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>Weather is an ever-changing phenomenon. “An airport that has no rain when the flight is approaching could suddenly be enveloped in a heavy downpour when the flight lands. The pilot is required to continuously update the weather data through the ATC. Only a well-rested pilot can judiciously use that data to make a sound decision.”</p>.<p>Aviation safety consultant Capt Mahesh Ranganathan had also indicated to this newspaper that the pilot might have been tired and taken the decision to land despite the risk due to a condition called ‘Press-on-itis’ in aviation terms.</p>.<p>This meant a decision to continue a planned destination even when significantly less risky alternatives existed. Technically, the consultant had said, the pilot should not have made another attempt. “But Press-on-itis could set in when he is tired.”</p>.<p>It is still unclear how much rest the pilot Capt Deepak Sathe got before he took control of the Boeing 737 aircraft from Dubai. But a pilot, who had frequently flown on the Middle East route, said the turnaround time for scheduled flights are too short for pilots to get proper rest.</p>.<p>Since the Air India Express flight was on a Vande Bharath mission, it is unlikely that the pilot had issues with rest time. The flight had taken off from Dubai as scheduled at 1.30 pm local time. However, it was not immediately clear whether the pilot had flown a flight from India to Dubai before commanding the Kozhikode-bound service.</p>.<p>If that were the case, a veteran pilot explained on condition of anonymity, “A pilot reports an hour and a half before for an international flight, flies the aircraft to Middle East for four hours plus, stays on the ground for an hour and a half and flies the aircraft back for another four-plus hour. That itself is 9:30 hours.”</p>.<p>Now add his preparation time at home and travel time to the airport. “And after landing, the time required to complete his customs and immigration and catch a cab to home to hit the bed. That’s at least another two minimum! That is 11:30 hours total, on duty.”</p>
