Kozhikode plane crash: 'Approach radar system not used for landing', claim ATC sources

As the death toll in the Kozhikode airplane crash touches 18, Air Traffic Control (ATC) sources have stated on Saturday, that the Approach Radar system was not used to assist landing the plane on Friday night. Sources add that instead of a computerized assist by and analyzing speed, path of travel to land the plane, manual navigational assistance was given to the flight. The Air India Express flight from Dubai to Kozhikode skidded off the table-top runway in Kozhikode's Karipur airport, falling into a 35-feet gorge splitting the plane into two. 

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Approach Radar system not used for landing: ATC

ATC sources stated that the computerised assist system - 'Approach Radar system' is a part of the night landing system- Category Landing 2 (CAT) but was not used on Friday. Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had lauded deceased pilots - Captain DV Sathe and Akhilesh Kumar's actions which helped in saving many lives. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recovered the black box from the crash site and is currently probing into the mishap.

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What is the Kozhikode Air India plane crash?

On Friday, Air India's Vande Bharat flight from Dubai failed to land on the table-top runway in Kozhikode's Karipur airport at 7:41 PM amid very heavy rainfall in the area, after two attempts - switching the approach runway for Runway 28 to Runway 10. Due to poor visibility and heavy waterlogging, the plane fell into a 35-feet gorge splitting the plane into two, but did not catch fire. There were 191 persons on board including two pilots and 4 cabin crew, as per the Kerala government. The fatalities include two pilots and 16 passengers - with the youngest fatality being a one-year-old boy who succumbed to his injuries.

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Kerala CM has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the next of kin of each passenger who died, while the Air India toohas matched the sum in interim monetary relief. Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, CM Pinarayi Vijayan have visited the crash site. With two deceased testing COVID positive, the CM has announced that all passengers and rescue team will undergo COVID tests.

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