[url="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100522/tts-uk-india-crash-ca02f96.html"]Plane crash in south India kills at least 160 people [/url]
Quote:An Air India Express passenger plane from Dubai crashed outside an airport in southern India on Saturday, killing at least 160 people when it burst into flames after overshooting the runway and ploughing into a forest.
There may have been five or six survivors, local media said.
One eyewitness said the plane skidded off the runway in rain at Mangalore airport in Karnataka state.
Air India said the plane was a Boeing 737-800, with 166 people on board, including six crew members. Air India Express is the budget arm of state-run carrier Air India.
"At least 160 passengers have died in the crash," V.S. Acharya, home minister of the southern state of Karnataka, told reporters. "At least five to six people have been taken to hospital, their condition is not known."
First indications are that the crash was an accident, officials say.
Television channels said the plane crashed around 6:30 a.m. (2 a.m. British time). TV images showed it struck a forested area. Flames were seen blazing from of some of the wreckage as rescue workers fought to bring the fire under control.
"The plane had broken into two. I jumped out of the plane after it crashed. I saw two other people also come out," Abdullah, a survivor from the plane, told local channel TV9 from hospital.
"There was tyre-burst kind of noise. I tried to get out of the front but saw that there was a big fire. So I went back again and jumped out from there."
One television channel showed a fireman carrying in his arms what seemed to be the remains of a child. Charred bodies and an engine lay in the forested terrain.
"The flight had already landed. There was slight rain. The flight skidded off," eyewitness Mohiuddin Bava told CNN-IBN channel. "After that it caught fire. Villagers, everyone there, came to rescue. The plane wings are right in front of me now."
Air India Express is the low cost arm of Air India. The budget airline started about five years ago. This is the first crash involving an Air India Express plane, according to an Air India spokesman.
Air India is a state-run loss making carrier. The government has been trying to infuse funds to revive the airline against stiff competition from private carriers.
[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/karnataka/Mangalore-crash-focus-back-on-expat-pilots/546915/H1-Article1-546982.aspx"]Mangalore crash, focus back on expat pilots[/url]
Quote:The crash of the Air India Express plane piloted by a Serbian national on Saturday has put the focus back on whether foreign pilots with various Indian air carriers are able to operate in a country with a diverse topography.
There are around 560 expat pilots currently employed with various airlines in India and they account for 10 per cent of the total strength of 5,500 civilian pilots.
Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the national carrier, has 125 expat pilots and they reportedly face a number of problems while operating a flight in the country when they are in the cockpit. In all, Air India has 250 expat pilots.
"Expat pilots should be removed because they are not familiar with the diverse topography in India," a retired Indian Airlines pilot, who did not wish to be identified, said.
The common problems that expat pilots face are related to communication and lack of knowledge of topography of Indian terrain, a senior pilot association official said.
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC) sources, air traffic controllers find it hard to communicate with expat pilots.
Complete nonsense. Pilots are trained to land on any runway. How Indian pilots will do better? ATC excuse is as lame as it can get, How these jokers communicate with international plane who are controlled by FOREIGNERS. Pilots union had their own agenda and media is doing work for them.
It was an accident, tyer burst and short runway, short time to control.
[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/karnataka/Survivor-jumped-out-of-gap-in-broken-aircraft-relative/546915/H1-Article1-546970.aspx"]Survivor jumped out of gap in broken aircraft: relative[/url]
Quote:One of the survivors of the air crash, Umar Farooq, said he escaped by jumping out from a gap when the plane broke immediately after shooting off the runway at the Mangalore airport.
"He told us that as soon as the aircraft started landing, the front wheel burst and the plane shot off the runway before catching fire. There was a crack in the aircraft. He jumped out of it and ran away," Farooq's relative told a TV news channel.
"There were two-three people who also jumped out. But we don't know if they survived. Umar Farooq received burn injuries on his hand and face," said the relative.
Farooq also told his family that there was no pre-landing message from the crew and the passengers were not even asked to fasten their seat belts.
This was an accident. Difficult for pilots to do anything in short runway.
[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/karnataka/Miraculous-escape-for-eight-passengers-of-crashed-AI-flight/546915/H1-Article1-546947.aspx"]Miraculous escape for eight passengers of crashed AI flight[/url]
Quote:"I can't believe I survived the crash," said Pradeep reliving the moments when the plane hit the ground after it overshot the runway.
"There were vibrations before the plane crashed...as soon as it hit the ground, I managed to get out and jump into a pit. There was smoke all over as the plane caught fire. After ten minutes, there was an explosion," he said.
According to most of the survivors, the fuselage of the aircraft had split into two.
Abdul Puthur, another survivor, said he, along with two others, managed to get out of the mangled remains of the aircraft from an opening on the left side. "It all happened within a few seconds," he said.
[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/I-heard-shrieks-I-saw-an-opening-and-dived-through-it/H1-Article1-547075.aspx"]'I heard shrieks. I saw an opening, unlocked my seatbelt, and dived through it'[/url]
Quote:The flight took off at 1.30 am from Dubai. Since it is summer vacation, almost all seats were filled. After the midnight boarding, everyone soon fell asleep.
Around 5.45 in the morning we heard an announcement from the captain that the plane would be landing in 20 minutes, and he advised passengers to put on their seatbelts.
In fact, the flight was 10 to 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
We were happy ââ¬âââ¬â but the happiness was short-lived.
The plane landed at high speed. It jerked severely several times and nearly touched the ground at that high speed. But it seemed the pilot couldn't control the plane and it overshot the runway.
I don't know the technical jargon ââ¬âââ¬â but he (the pilot) tried to apply the break hard but failed, and it (the plane) cruised ahead at high speed.
At this point it seems the pilot tried to take off again. By that time, it hit a boundary wall and a tree, and caught fire.
In a few seconds, the plane broke into three pieces and fire engulfed the entire area.
My seat was number 23 and I was in the middle of the aircraft.
I could hear wails and shrieks. Though my head was hit hard, I somehow managed to unlock my belt.
When I saw a small opening (in the broken plane) I dived through it. I wanted to save the person sitting next to me, but I couldn't. Fire engulfed him while he was untying his belt.
I don't know how many of us have survived. I saw five to six people coming out of the fireball. I feel more people could have been saved if they hadn't tightened their seatbelts.
I never thought I could survive and speak to you like this. It is all God's grace.
[url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100522/ap_on_re_as/as_india_plane_crash"]India plane with 166 on board crashes; 8 survive[/url]
Quote:Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said the plane's pilot, a British citizen, had more than 10,000 hours of flying experience, including [color="#FF0000"]26 landings at Mangalore.[/color] The Indian co-pilot had more than 3,750 hours of experience and[color="#FF0000"] 66 landings at Mangalore[/color], he said.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the Mangalore runway had a reputation for being difficult.
"Our worst fears have come true," he told the Press Trust of India.
Accidents of this type, known as "runway excursions," are fairly common, though the majority end without injury or damage.
The International Civil Aviation Organization and pilots' groups have urged airports worldwide to construct 300 meter (yard)-long safety extensions at the end of each runway for extra protection.
Older airports in congested neighborhoods with little room for extensions are advised to install soft ground layers ââ¬â known as arrestor beds ââ¬â to slow planes, much as escape ramps on highways can stop trucks when their brakes fail.
[color="#FF0000"]The 8,000-foot (2,430-meter) Mangalore runway had a short spillover area of about 300 feet (90 meters) with a bed of sand designed to halt or slow a plane that overshoots, Patel said.
"Obviously, the aircraft was at a higher speed," [/color]he said.
More than 32,000 landings had been made on the runway since it opened in 2006, officials said.
[quote name='Mudy' date='22 May 2010 - 09:41 PM' timestamp='1274544199' post='106510']
[url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100522/ap_on_re_as/as_india_plane_crash"]India plane with 166 on board crashes; 8 survive[/url]
[/quote]
8000 foot runway is decently long. I believe Chicago Midway is only 6500 feet long and is adequate for 737's (but still on the short side), Although they had a Southwest airlines landing long and ended up crashed into a gas station past the runway. The pilot should have gone around after floating for 2000 feet, but we will need to know if the crosswinds were strong, visibility etc.
Landing on Table top runways is very tricky because unlike flat areas there is strong susceptibility to small change of wind and weather conditions. The wind does not blow at 0 degree angle and small change in angle of attack of the wing versus wind result in unusually long float time (flare) or sudden dip, the latter is more dangerous to recover, hence pilots will bias the landing speed to be slightly higher (than normal for flat area runways), with the risk of long air-float time, that eats into available landing distance.
Bottom line:
Decision threshold to go around leave small time window for pilot and even 2 seconds late decision will risk ability to take off and go-around.
All small runways or difficult landing strips should have better instrumentation:
wind & turbulence measurement; & ATC should play safe and close the airport for as long as weather risks safety.
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_landing_system"]ILS[/url] or ALS should be mandatory installed at such airports. This narrows down the spread of touchdown point.
Indian GAGAN [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Area_Augmentation_System"]Wide Area Augmentation System[/url] (WAAS) could provide similar or better accuracy. The key part is to link the Aircraft's autopilot to WASS. (a.k.a Automatic Landing System, ALS)
All small runways or difficult landing strips should have far better emergency response equipment and crew to ensure fastest response to fir control and rescue.
All requires money, but first it requires a change of mindset to human safety and responsibility for service and safety.
My prayers to Lord Vishnu to give "Sadgati" to all departed souls.
05-22-2010, 11:14 PM (This post was last modified: 05-22-2010, 11:14 PM by Arun_S.)
[url="http://ibnlive.in.com/printpage.php?id=115977§ion_id=3"]Mangalore air crash: timeline of the mishap[/url]
Quote:Neelu Vyas CNN-IBN
New Delhi: The country woke up Saturday morning to one of the deadliest air tragedies in Mangalore. Air India Express flight 812 from Dubai to Mangalore, carrying 166 passengers, got completely burnt, killing 158 people and eight miraculous survivors.
Timeline of the mishap
At 2am on the 22nd of May the ill-fated Air India Express flight 812 took off from Dubai International Airport. Captain Glusica, a Serbian expat, was in charge.
It's a four-and-a-half hour long flight to Mangalore. The flight was scheduled to touch down at about 6.30 in the morning.
There were 166 passengers on board -- 137 adults, 19 children, four infants and six crew members. Most of them were from Kerala, heading back from the Gulf, each with a date to keep with their loved ones.
As the narrow-bodied Boeing 737-800 approached the table-top runway at Mangalore, the winds were calm, it's a bit cloudy. But visibility was clear upto six kilometres.
Captain Glusica and his co-pilot Captain SS Ahluwalia were cleared by Mangalore airport to approach for landing. About 10 miles short of the runway, the plane switched over to the Instrument Landing System.
What happened next is a mystery at the moment. The aircraft hit the tarmac about 2000 feet beyond its touchdown point. That proved fatal for the aircraft as it simply did not have enough runway left to break its speed.
The plane hit a fence, broke through the airport boundary wall and fell into the gorge beyond, breaking into two and catching fire on impact.
Of the 166 people on board, 158 perished but there is a miraculous escape for eight passengers.
Reports suggest that the Air Traffic Control received no distress signal in the moments before landing. So the reason for one of the country's worst aviation disasters is still a mystery.
[url="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/what-really-went-wrong-in-mangalore-crash/115975-3.html?from=tn"]What really went wrong in Mangalore?[/url]
Quote:Posted on May 22, 2010 at 21:36 | Updated May 22, 2010 at 22:46Mangalore: So what really went wrong that the Air India Express aircraft crashed at the Mangalore airport, killing 158 people on Saturday morning. According to survivors, eyewitnesses and ATC sources, the problems started after the aircraft started landing. It looks like the aircraft went out of control.
At around 6:00 am on Saturday, four miles short of the runway, the Air Traffic Controller cleared the pilot for touchdown. The pilot acknowledged. This was the last communication between the pilot and the ATC.
The pilot was landing on ILS or the Instrument landing System, which has two features, the Localiser which aligns the plane to the centre of the runway and the Glide scope which helps the pilot to set his angle of approach.
ATC sources told CNN-IBN that the pilot was flying much above the appropriate approach angle which could be why the plane touched down 2000 feet beyond the actual touchdown point on the runway. This left the pilot with only 5000 feet to bring the plane to a halt.
Former Director General of Civil Aviation, Kanu Gohain, said: "The pilot says established on ILS. That means he is in line with the runway and he is on the glide slope. As he was following those signals on the ILS, he should have touched down exactly at the ILS touchdown point at 1000. You are in touchdown point and another 2000 to 5000 ft is the available length of the runway. Still that could have been used to stop the plane by using the braking system and thrust reversals. At the most, the plane would have gone beyond that runway and stooped in the runway end safety area."
Soon after touchdown, the ATC made the routine request for the plane to back track towards the terminal but got no answer. Survivor accounts also suggest that within seconds of touching down one of the tyres of the aircraft might have burst.
Omar Farooq, a survivor, said: "Tyre burst while landing so the plane skidded of the runway, hit the boundary wall and exploded. The plane cracked open and I jumped out. I ran almost 500 mts and people later rushed to a hospital. I have suffered injuries but I'm okay."
The plane then hit an ILS antenna, rammed the boundary wall and fell right into the gorge ahead. Experts say there are many questions that need to be answered.
H S Khola asked what was the weight of the aircraft, what was the length of the runway and was it safe enough to land in that much length? What was the touchdown speed of the aircraft and was the deceleration system working fully?"
Gohain further said: "When the investigation is carried on it has to be established from the flight data recorder at what point he touched down, how much in the runway he had had and what was the engine power at that time. What was the speed at the time of touchdown? These are the parameters which have to be considered to establish why the pilot could not stop the plane within the available length of the runway."
Most of these may be answered when the flight data recorder or Black Box is recovered.
[url="http://news.rediff.com/special/2010/may/22/mangalores-new-runway-was-legally-challenged.htm"]Construction of Mangalore's new runway was legally challenged[/url]
Quote:India biggest airline tragedy in Mangalore is largely being attributed to the newly-opened second runway at the Mangalore international airport.
The construction of the second runway was always embroiled in controversy and there have been several legal battles fought over this.
A series of public interest litigations had been filed in Karnataka [ Images ] courts over the past couple of years in which it was stated that the construction of the second runway should be stopped since the design did not conform to the most basic national and international standards of airport design.
The PILs also highlighted that the airport does not conform to most minimum safeguards for emergency situations -- particularly during landings and takeoffs, and that the airport did not have emergency approach roads within a kilometre on all sides of the airport as required.
Vimana Nildana Vistharana Virodhi Samithi (Local Communities Alliance Against Airport Expansion), Bajpe and the Environment Support Group had repeatedly highlighted the high-risk expansion of the Mangalore international airport during the late 1990s.
The expansion was proposed to enable flight movements of wide-bodied aircraft, such as the Airbus A-320.
Authorities were repeatedly informed that the proposal did not at all conform to runway design standards laid down by the Director General of Civil Aviation, National Building Code of India [ Images ] and Ministry of Civil Aviation. Further, considering that the airport was proposed for international flights, a case was also made that the second runway did not conform to International Civil Aviation Organisation standards due to terrain limitations.
The NGOs say that no one in authority cared to listen to their pleas. This even when they demonstrated through a variety of representations that that the site chosen for expansion at Bajpe was surrounded by valleys on three sides of the runway and did not provide for emergency landing areas as required.
When their pleas were not heard, they moved the Karnataka high court in a PIL in 1997 (Arthur Pereira and others vs Union of India and others., WP No. 37681/1997).
The Airports Authority of India filed an affidavit in court dismissing all concerns and stated this, amongst other things:
"It is submitted that as regards the apprehensions of the petitioner that the length and width of the runway is insufficient for a plane making an emergency landing, the same is without any basis. It is submitted that all the requirements as per the ICAO recommendation will be met and that there has been no infringement of any of the recommendation and limitation therein."
On the basis of this affidavit, the high court dismissed the PIL ordering as follows:
"It is stated that the fear of the petitioners that the runway is insufficient for any emergency landing is without basis since before the project is to proceed, the authorities will be meeting the recommendations of the ICAO. It is also stated that there is no basis for the allegations made by the petitioners to the effect that the various safety measures have not been followed. That on the other hand they will be getting all the relevant materials described by the petitioners which will be followed in letter and spirit without which the airport would not have been conceived in the first place. Thus it can be seen that the expansion of Bajpe airport project is at the initial stage and the second respondent has in their objections mentioned above unequivocally stated that all the safety measures etc, stated by the petitioners in their writ petition will be followed during the progress of the project and nothing can be said before the lands are handed over to the second respondent.
"Considering these facts, we are of the view that the petitioners have rushed to this court before commencement of the project itself and the writ petition is premature. It is not, therefore, necessary to consider the various grounds taken by the petitioners in the writ petition to allege that the respondents have been proceeding with the project in a casual manner. There is nothing to doubt about the statement made by the second respondent in their objection statement and we are sure that the respondents will be taking all necessary measures under the different enactments etc before proceeding with the project in question."
Even though alternative sites existed, the authorities proceeded to expand the airport yielding to pressures from business, real estate and hotel lobbies, say activists against the project. They allege that authorities overlooked alternative sites even near Bajpe to expand the airport that conformed with most safety norms, since it would have affected large landholders and influential people.
AAI did not even have a proper feasibility study, and claimed that such critical information detail would only be prepared after the land was acquired, the activists alleged.
The NGOs then appealed to the ICAO to intervene. The ICAO did not respond and so they returned to the high court with a fresh PIL in 2002. In this exhaustively-researched PIL many significant concerns were raised and a case was made that the second runway could not conform to ICAO norms for the following reasons:
"Minimum Area for Stop-way: ICAO norms prescribes standards for providing the minimum area for a stop way and/or a clear way in the event an aircraft undershoots or over-runs the runway. For instance, if an aircraft has initiated take off, and a technical flaw requires emergency stop, the standard prescribes the minimum area that should be kept free to enable such a stop. In the instant case, the runway distance itself is about 2,400 metres, and even if the area left is most cautiously utilised, what is left is only about 300 metres on each end of the runway. By the prescribed standard, this is far below the required distance needed for an emergency stop way.
[color="#FF0000"]"Therefore, the chances of an aircraft that has achieved the decision speed forcing an emergency stop are critically minimised, and the inevitable consequence could be that the plane crash down the hillsides from a height of 80-100 metres on either side of the proposed runway.[/color]"[/b]
The high court dismissed this PIL on May 27, 2002 (WP 20905/2002) stating the following:
"No doubt, in an appropriate case, this court can issue directions, if there is gross violation of fundamental rights or if the issue touches the conscience of this court. The construction of second runway and terminal tower at Mangalore Airport will otherwise be in the interest of public. Learned counsel has not been able to show how the construction will be against the public interest.
"On consideration and in the facts of the given case no direction as prayed for can be issued in this PIL. The authorities concerned have to complete all formalities as per law before commencement of the project. Accordingly, this writ petition is dismissed. However, it is made clear that dismissal of this petition will not preclude the concerned Authorities to take all necessary precaution and to complete the formalities as per law before proceeding with the project in question."
"We see no reason to interfere with the impugned order. Accordingly, the special leave petition is dismissed. We, however, clarify that in constructing the airport, the government shall comply with all applicable laws and also with environmental norms."
The second runway construction began in 2004 and was commissioned in May 2006.[color="#FF0000"] No techno-economic assessment, feasibility study, or even a comprehensive environment impact assessment was ever done for the second runway. Simply put, the runway was built in comprehensive violation of applicable laws, standards and direction of the Supreme Court, alleges Leo Saldanha, coordinator of the ESG.[/color]
On March 8, 2004, the NGOs wrote to Dr Naseem Zaidi, chairman and joint secretary, AAI reminding him of the need to comply with the Supreme Court direction. They highlighted that "such action would jeopardise passenger safety, put local communities to risk, needlessly dislocate people by acquiring land on a location that in no way could comply with the said provisions and thereby contributed to gross wastage of public money and resources."
We did not get any response, Saldanha says.
Other option was to use politician (Deve Godwa and family) owned land, but JD - Deve Godwa was able to kick out Dalit Colony and constructed strip on very risky direction.
Indian Courts can be bought by any bidder.
Inquiry will be complete lie and they will blame pilot.
05-22-2010, 11:19 PM (This post was last modified: 05-22-2010, 11:21 PM by Arun_S.)
[b][url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/158-bodies-recovered-from-AI-plane-crash-site--in-Mangalore/Article1-546915.aspx"]All 158 bodies recovered from AI plane crash site in Mangalore[/url][/b]
Quote:Bodies of all the 158 victims of the Air India Express plane crash near Bajpe airport in Mangalore have been recovered from the wreckage site, a top police official said.
"Of the 158 bodies, 72 bodies have been identified," Commissioner of Police Seemanth Kumar Singh said.
With all bodies extricated, authorities also ended search operations in and around the deep ravine, into which the aircraft had plunged after overshooting the runway soon after landing.
The IX 812 Dubai-Mangalore Air India flight had 160 passengers and six crew members on board.
The eight persons who escaped from the jaws of death included five adults and [color="#0000ff"]three infants[/color]. They are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Mangalore and are stated to be out of danger, police said. All the passengers were Indian nationals, an Air India official in Dubai said.
The pilot was Serbian and said to be very experienced.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel visited the site of the accident and went to see the survivors at the hospital. He told reporters later that he felt morally responsible for one of the worst aviation disasters in the country but declined to confirm reports he had offered to resign.
The flight's black box has been recovered, the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said. But Air India official M Nambiar said the search for the flight data recorder was still going on.
The crash appeared to be an accident, officials said. One TV report said the plane hit a radar pole on landing.
"There was no distress indication from the pilot. That means between the pilot and the airport communication there was no indication of any problem," VP Agarwal, director of Airports Authority of India, told local television.
TV images showed it struck a forested area, and flames were blazing from the wreckage as rescue workers fought to bring the fire under control.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was directly monitoring rescue operations in Mangalore, Defence Minister A K Antony said, adding that the central government was in constant touch with the Karnataka government on providing relief to the victims.
"The entire nation is in shock... Delhi (central government) is in shock. The prime minister is directly monitoring the rescue and rehabilitation operation," Antony said.
Flight operations from the Bajpe airport resumed in the afternoon.
[url="http://nvonews.com/2010/05/22/mangalore-air-crash-tragic-fallout-of-criminal-negligence/"][b]Mangalore Air Crash Tragic Fallout of Criminal Negligence[/url]
Quote:ESG demands the Union Minister of Civil Aviation to orders an impartial Commission of Enquiry into the causative factors of this crash, especially investigating the absolute lack of conformance with basic runway design standards and emergency approach measures[/b].
From reading the reports sounds like the cause was a tire burst on one of the mains, which caused the airplane to veer sharply in one direction and off the runway. With a visibility of 6 km, they would have seen the runway a while back. The touch down point in a ILS is usually 1000 feet down from the threshold (captains bars), 2000 beyond that is 3000 foot down, still 5000 feet is plenty to stop the airplane with brakes and reverse thrust (probably only need about 2000 beyond that). Could be they got anxious landing a little long and put max breaking, not sure...
Owning "moral responsibility" for the Mangalore air crash, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is on Saturday night believed to have offered to resign to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who reportedly turned down the offer.
Bodies of all the 158 victims of the Air India Express plane crash near Bajpe airport here have been recovered from the wreckage site, a top police official said.
With all bodies extricated, authorities also ended search operations in and around the deep ravine, into which the aircraft had plunged after overshooting the runway soon after landing.
"Of the 158 bodies, 72 bodies have been identified," Commissioner of Police Seemanth Kumar Singh told PTI.
Quote:The Air India Express flight 812 flying in from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing at Mangalore's "table top" airport surrounded by deep gorges. It erupted in flames when it overshot the runway and plunged down a cliff.
The plane had 166 passengers, including 19 children, four infants and six crew members.
Patel said that the Mangalore airport has a limited spill-over area after the short runway.
"Because the spill-over area was limited, it (the aircraft) went off a cliff," he said.
"The plane went into the spill-over area, hit the localiser, a wing broke there and the aircraft plunged into the valley 200-300 metre deep," he said, adding that the plane did not catch fire immediately.
The minister said the length of the runway had been increased from 6,000 feet to 8,000 feet to factor in landing of bigger aircraft.
He said the aircraft black box, which recordS flight information, would be recovered as the entire wreckage had been found.
Patel also brushed aside suggestions that airport safety norms were defied.
Quote:Patel added that since India is a signatory to the 1999 Montreal convention, the families of those who had died would be paid up to $160,000. The injured would also be given suitable compensation and their treatment would be paid for by the airline.
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