On the second year anniversary of the Karipur plane crash, the passengers and relatives of the ill-fated plane have decided to show their gratitude to the 'Real Heroes' of Karipur, who saved their lives.
The passengers of Air India Express flight from Dubai to Kozhikode that crash-landed at the Karipur airport on 7th August 2020 have come together to construct a new hospital building for the local people who risked everything to save the lives of the victims during the peak of Covid days.
An MoU of the project for constructing a new building for the Primary Health Centre at Chirayil near Karipur airport will be handed over at a ceremony to be held near the accident site in Karipur on 7th August. The Karipur airport is about 30 km from Kozhikode.
The plan is to construct a building with modern facilities including outpatient counter, pharmacy, observation area. The relatives of those who died in the crash and rescued passengers on board are the members of the group. Everyone contributes a share from the compensation amount received from the accident. The cost of the building is expected to be around Rs 50 lakh. On 7th August in Karipur, Minister V. Abdurahiman, T.V. Ibrahim M.L.A.
The legal convener of the association Sajjad Hussain said that the decision was taken to do something in return for the local residents who took the lead in the rescue operation during the accident. Many suggestions like constructing a library, anganwadi building and primary health centre came up during the dicussions. Finally, it was decided to construct a building with more facilities for the hospital.
The AIE flight, which was part of the Vande Bharat mission, crashed while attempting to land at the Calicut International Airport. The aircraft with 190 people on board — 174 adult passengers, 10 infants and six crew members —skidded off the tabletop runway and broke into two parts. 19 people including the two pilots lost their lives. The flight was carrying many who had lost their jobs and whose visas had expired in recent months.
As soon as the mishap occurred, many local people had rushed to offer all help unmindful of the downpour and Covid-19 fears.The Rescue efforts undertaken by the local people even as heavy rain pouded caught the attention of the national media. Expressing gratitude, Air India Express said it takes not just courage, but a touch of humanity to save a life, adding “We owe you a lot.
A report, released little over a year after the deadly crash of the plane, said the "probable cause of the accident was the non-adherence to SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) by the PF (Pilot Flying)". The PF continued an unstabilised approach and landed beyond the touchdown zone, half way down the runway, in spite of 'Go Around' call by PM which warranted a mandatory ' Go Around' and the failure of the PM to take over controls and execute a 'Go Around'", it noted.
