Wet runway, over-speeding caused aircraft skidding at MIA: Sources

A wet runway and over-speeding were the likely cause of the Air India Express flight veering off the taxiway after landing at the Mangaluru International Airport, airport sources said Monday.

The 183 passengers and crew on board the Dubai-Mangaluru flight were safe, the airport and airline had said in separate statements after the Sunday evening incident.

The airline has ordered an investigation into the episode.

The incident evoked memories of the air tragedy at the same airport on May 22, 2010 when an Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the table top runway and plunged into a gorge, killing 152 of the 160 passengers and all six crew members.

According to airport sources, weather-related problems due to heavy rain had forced the aircraft to go around on Sunday when it was about 1,000 feet from the ground and it landed safely on the second attempt.

After skidding off the taxiway, the aircraft moved a little further and got stuck in the mud when the pilot applied the brake.

All the 183 passengers and six crew on board were deplaned at the spot using a ladder platform.

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) Director V V Rao said the plane may have skidded off the taxiway due to high speed, while the exact reason can be ascertained only after the probe.

He, however, said flight operations from the airport were not affected after the incident.

The flight INX 384, which departed from Dubai at 12.39 pm local time, landed at the airport here at 5.35 pm.

While the plane did not overshoot the runway, the mishap occurred when the aircraft vacated the runway and entered the taxiway towards the terminal, the sources said.

The Air Traffic Control observed that the aircraft was moving at a higher speed when it skidded, they said.

Some passengers said the aircraft shook violently before coming to a halt.

U T Khader, who is the Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge minister, urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident.

The probe into the 2010 crash had found that the captain misjudged the height while landing, resulting in the flight overshooting the runway located on a plateau.