In view of the suspected pilot error that led to the Mangalore air crash, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday issued fresh directives telling airlines and pilots that “landings should be judged not by how soft the landing has been, but if it has been made at the correct speed and touchdown zone of the runway”. The
pilot of the ill-fated Air India Express had overshot the touchdown zone at Mangalore airport and government sources had made it clear from the day of the crash that all indications pointed to pilot error.
What is also significant is that the Serbian-born pilot of the ill-fated flight had apparently been warned about a “hard landing” by Air India Express at Thiruvanathapuram airport in March this year. Was it the fear of a repeat incident that led him to glide the aircraft over the runway without touching down in the runway zone? These are the questions that the DGCA probe will have to answer.
The DGCA has also started a “reassurance drive” to inspect and ensure more than adequate airworthiness standards of aircraft and inspection of the 11 “critical” airports (with table-top runways).