Air India Express Flight IX-1344 Overran Runway, Crashes

**Hunted** · #1 ● 08-09-2020, 08:01 AM

In a tragic aviation incident, an Air India Express flight IX-1344, operated by a Boeing 737-800 with registration VT-AXH, overshot the runway during its landing at Kozhikode Airport. The flight, a repatriation mission from Dubai to India, carried 184 passengers and 6 crew members. Tragically, the aircraft failed to stop on the runway, surpassing the 150-meter safety area and plunging into a valley. The accident, occurring at 19:41 local time, resulted in the aircraft coming to rest approximately 100 feet below the runway level and 245 meters beyond the runway's end.

Initial reports from the scene indicated a catastrophic outcome. Both pilots and 16 passengers were confirmed deceased, while 138 individuals sustained injuries of varying severity, including 15 in critical condition. Police and rescue teams worked diligently at the crash site, where early reports noted at least two fatalities and 35 injuries. As the night progressed, the number of confirmed fatalities rose to 16, with 123 additional injuries reported.

India's Aviation Minister later confirmed these figures, adding that all survivors had been rescued and transported to medical facilities. The Director-General of Civil Aviation in India also acknowledged the loss of 16 lives in the accident. Air India Express released a statement detailing the events, noting that there was no fire at the time of landing. The airline's report clarified that the flight carried 174 passengers, 10 infants, 2 pilots, and 5 cabin crew members, and that rescue operations were underway.

By midnight, local time, Air India Express confirmed the completion of search and rescue operations. The airline further updated the casualty figures, stating the tragic loss of both pilots and 15 passengers, while all cabin crew members survived.