Wet runway, downward slopes, poor braking recipe for landing accident: Aviation expert

Aviation Expert Captain Shakti Lumba spoke to India Today on Saturday to discuss the factors that led to Air India Express plane crash. He said: "The plane landed in rain, with tailwinds and gone off the runway. Wet runway, downward slopes and hence poor braking forms the recipe for landing accident on a restricted runway. "Tabletop runways are not in general unsafe. What is unsafe is the amount of safety margin on either end of the runway."

Shakti Lumba's statement came a day after an Air India Express flight crash-landed in Kerala's Kozhikode. The flight was operating a Vande Bharat Mission flight from Dubai to Kozhikode. As many as 18 people, including both the pilots, were killed after an Air India Express plane returning from Dubai skidded off the runway and broke in two while landing. Air India Express has announced a compensation of up to Rs 10 lakh for the families of passengers killed in the tragedy. The black box and flight data recorder of the crashed aircraft have been recovered.