The crash of an Air India Express plane in Kerala, killing 14 and injuring dozens more, has renewed concerns over the airport’s location on a raised plateau that would seem to invite accidents like the one that befell the flight.
News of the fate of Air India Express flight 1344 has prompted fresh complaints about the airport’s precarious location — a ‘tabletop’ plateau that puts planes at risk of serious accidents like the Friday crash landing.
Google Earth depiction of #Kozhikode Airport. It’s a Tabletop runway which is 104m above MSL whereas the valley around the end is 65-70m above MSL as per SRTM data. Rough depiction of height /direction in map.#KozhikodeAirCrashpic.twitter.com/AvxvQNTXSC
Originating in Dubai, the plane reportedly overshot the runway at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport and skidded into a valley below, breaking into two and injuring some 123 people.
Several users posted videos of this “pilot’s nightmare,” suggesting it was best to decommission the site as an airport entirely.
Calicut Airport should be shut down. It’s outright dangerous to land there even without any rain Just see the tabletop airport #AirIndia#calicutpic.twitter.com/zYJTU63ryQ
The tricky topography of the Calicut Airport. The site of the #AirIndia crash in Kerala. I have slightly exaggerated relief in this 3D map, but you can see that the table-top runway sits in a valley adjacent to hills on either side. Heavy rainfalls in monsoon add to the danger. pic.twitter.com/1tiLKU0OnS
Some referenced a 2010 crash at Mangalore, an airport located in a similar tabletop formation. That disaster left 158 people dead.
#Kozhikode Air India Express skidding off runway in Kozhikode airport brings back bitter memories of 2010 Mangalore plane crash which killed 158 passengers. Both are table top airports @XpressBengaluru@santwana99
Both pilot and co-pilot died in the crash landing at Kozhikode. The flight had 191 people on board in total, and rescue teams are onsite. The plane is said to have skidded off the runway due to heavy rain.
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