In a tragic incident, an Air India Express flight crashed in Kozhikode International Airport, wherein 20 passengers have died.
If not for the brave pilot, there could have been more casualties and more destruction.
This is how hundreds of lives were saved by Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe.
Pilot’s Presence Of Mind Saved Hundreds Of Lives
Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe was flying the Air India Express flight from Dubai to Calicut International Airport on August 7th, 2020.
It was a Boeing-737, and carrying 190 passengers and crew, which also included 10 infants.
While landing in the evening, the pilot realised that the landing gears have failed.
Using his presence of mind, he flew over the airport two-times, draining all the fuel, since he knew that it shall be a crash landing.
Unfortunately, chose runway #10 for the landing, whose condition was already bad, and a report was shared with the airport authorities last year about the same.
The aircraft skid the tabletop runaway, and fell deep into the 35-feet valley before splitting up and crashing.
If the pilot had not emptied the fuel, then the broken and crashed aircraft would have caught fire, and hundreds of lives would have been lost.
Both the pilot, Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar along with 18 passengers have died as of now, and 20 are in serious injuries.
Who Was Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe
Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe was an ex-Indian Air Force pilot, with 22 years of experience
He was awarded the prestigious “sword of honour” (a recognition of his skills) when he graduated from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal near Hyderabad in June 1981, and was a HAL Test Pilot, which means the best of the best.
He was also an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.
Heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, who thought that they were returning to safety from a pandemic.
And a big salute to Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe for doing everything possible to save lives. His legend will be alive, forever.
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