158 killed as AI plane overshoots runway, crashes in Mangalore

Mangalore: At least 158 people were killed on this morning when an Air India Express Boeing 737 with 166 passengers and crew flying from Dubai overshot the runway while landing at the Mangalore airport and turned into a ball of fire as it crashed into a forested ravine, authorities and witnesses said.
The aircraft was coming down in clear visibility around 6 am when the Serbian pilot overshot the runway at Bajpe, some 30 km from Mangalore, and desperately tried to take off, member of parliament Sadananda Gowda said. But the plane hit a radar pole and spun out of control.
In no time, it smashed into the ravine almost a kilometre away amid a deafening roar, breaking into pieces. Only eight people, an infant included, miraculously survived the disaster as they crawled out of the burning broken parts of the Boeing. Some of the injured are stated to be critical.
Air India Director Anup Srivastava announced in Mumbai that the plane was carrying 160 passengers, including four infants, and six crew members.
Air India Express is the low cost arm of Air India.
Most passengers were Indians, many returning home from Dubai where they worked.
The airport at Bajpe is in a hilly area and considered one of the most difficult airports to land and take off from. The area had been experiencing heavy rains for the last two days.
The pilot gave no distress signal before the crash, Mangalore airport officials said.
22./05/10 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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