THRISSUR
: A combination of infrastructure inadequacies and human errors could have contributed to the plane crash at Kozhikode on Friday evening, said E K Bharat Bhushan, former director-general of civil aviation (DGCA).
Hitting out at the successive state governments for not completing land acquisition for extending the airport’s runway, he said: “The Kerala government should be clearly told that this airport cannot function unless adequate land is provided.”
The aircraft touched down almost at the middle of the runway, so it has be found out whether there was any human error as well, he said. “There are reports that the pilot had landed the aircraft after the second or third attempt because of the bad weather. Then the question arises as to why was the flight not diverted to Kannur or Kochi, if the pilot was finding that the weather was bad,” Bhushan said.
He said there was no doubt that the flight was being manned by a seasoned pilot, with more than 10,000 flying hours to his credit.
“He was also a test pilot. It is the best pilots who are made test pilots. But these pilots were on rest for quite some time as the aircraft were remaining grounded because of Covid-19. They are being given re-induction training, but it has to be found out whether the training has been effective,” the former DGCA said.
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