Pilot’s timely safety acts saved many lives, and aircraft from burning

By G.S.Radhakrishna,.

Kozhikode, August 08: The timely safety acts of veteran pilot Dipak Sathe of ill fated aircraft that skidded and crashed at tabletop airport of Kozhikode on Friday evening saved hundreds of lives.

The aircraft was carrying passengers from Dubai as part of the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’. Sathe’s brave acts at huge personal risk also saved the aircraft from burning.

Experts says that the failing landing gears of the aircraft could be one of the reasons for the fatal accident which killed over 18 persons, including Dipak Sathe himself.

According to unofficial sources, owning to failing visibility and misty weather, the former IAF pilot made three rounds of airport to empty the fuel which saved plane from catching fire. That’s why there was no smoke seen coming from the crashed aircraft.

He also turned off the engine and power lines in the aircraft moments before the crash and belly landed after the 3rd attempt.The right wing was ruptured even before the aircraft jumped above the wall of airport and cracked into two a few hundred yards away.The pilot lost his life but saved life of most of passengers.

Deepak was an experienced aerial operator with 36 years of flying experience. A passout of NDA, topper in the 58th course and an awardee of ‘Sword of Honour’, he served Indian Air Force for 21 years before joining as a Commercial Pilot with Air India in 2005.

He had volunteered for the ‘Vande Bharat’ Mission, as he was proud of bringing back the countrymen from Arab countries. Dipak had made nearly 20 landings at Kozhikode in the past and perhaps the experience helped him in taking safety measures, say DGCA sources.

He had flown an aircraft with fruits, vegetables, medicines to Dubai as those countries did not allow passengers since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic.

Sathe survived a few crashes in early nineties when he was in IAF. He was hospitalised for 6 months for multiple skull injuries and nobody thought that he would live and fly again. But it is a miracle that he was up and flying again for several years, say some of his compatriots who have already retired from active service much before him. He leaves behind his wife and two sons, both pass outs of IIT Mumbai.

–India News Stream