The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed that the plane overshot the runway and crashed into a valley, breaking into two.
The government of India has been making attempts to privatise Air India, which has debts of over $8 million, since 2006. However, this is not the first time that planes from the cash-strapped government-owned carrier have crashed.
158 People Killed in Dubai to Mangalore in 2010
The Kozhikode plane crash on Friday has brought back chilling memories of the 2010 plane crash which has many similarities with Friday's crash. It was a similar Boeing 737 which took off from Dubai to Mangalore and overshot the runway on 22 May 2010 with 160 passengers and six crew members on board. Only eight survived the accident.
17 People Killed in Kuala Lumpur to Bombay Flight in 1982
On 21 June 1982, an Air India plane carrying 111 people crashed at Bombay International Airport after bouncing off the runway while landing at night during blinding rain. At least 17 people died in the crash. Reportedly, the pilots tried to perform a go-around but the aircraft stalled midway and made a hard landing, breaking into three pieces.
No Survivors in Bombay to Dubai Flight in 1978
In one of the deadliest air crashes in Indian history, on New Year ’s Day in 1978, an Air India plane carrying 213 passengers crashed into the Arabian sea killing all the people on board. The cause of the crash remains a mystery. While Air India had claimed nothing was wrong with the plane, a New York Times report cites attorneys in the case who claimed the crash was caused by a technical malfunction.
