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The Manglore Air Tragedy

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Kamalji, May 23, 2010.

  1. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    The Manglore Air Tragedy



    First of all, let me say, that I am very very sad at this tragedy, and the loss of so many innocent lives, God bless the souls of the departed, and give courage to the families of the departed.


    Many blogs have been written on this topic since yesterday, so I wont go in those details of what happened, and what was wrong with the runaway or who was at fault.This blog brings back many other memories associated with this kind of thing, don’t get me wrong, I am not making fun of things, just stating a few things that come to mind.


    Todays papers were as usual reporting the coverage, the faults and all that. So I skip that and go to other things.The papers today said a strange thing, that with the automated instruments on board, the pilots now get complacent, if that is the right word to use, and don’t pay attention to the path of the flight.


    One pilot, that is the cammander, went for a loo break, and when he came back, he was surpised to see the copilot talking with the crew member, not realizing that the auto pilot was off, and the plane was on the verge of stalling, whatever that means !


    They say, that with the modern planes these days, where computers on the plane do the work, and the landing instruments do their part, the pilots main job is the landing and take off, and after they are airborne after some time the plane is set on auto, and the pilots relax. Say India London flight is 8 hours, maybe the first and the last half hours are the test of the pilot’s skills, the rest is taken care of the computers on board, in between just turn the plane where the air controllers tell u to do.So complacency tends to set in.


    Recently one pilot in <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:pLACE w:st="on">Europe</ST1:pLACE> somewhere, overshot the airway for 150 miles, before the realized it, and came back. In India a few months back, the two pilots got into a fistfight, on board, both fighting for the attention and love of one of the Airhostess, komal her name was I think, and the cockpit was left unattended for a few minutes, wheras the rules say , it has to be attended to at all times.God knows what happened to the case.


    In a case in USA, a pilot had a girlfriend on his lap, the copilot told to go take a leak, and their love talks were heard downstairs .And this is shocking, what I am about to tell u. I have a video downloaded from the net, where in the cockpit, we aer shown two pilots and two airhostesses, of a foreign airline, where by the two ladies voluntarily become topless, and the pilots are facing the ladies, touching them, and no one to face the screen.A long video, about 10 mins or so.


    The papers reported today that 1 out of 4 crashes are due to pilot error, and we see what some pilots are up to eh !


    And a sad news was, that 16 or 27 members of a family, died in this Manglore Crash.They had come to attend a grandmother’s funeral.How cruel and ironic , fate and life can be , dear friends. First there was this old lady who may have lived her life to the full, and then u have her major family wiped out, coming to attend her death.They must have loved her a lot to have come down all the way. But fate had other plans.


    Though not related to this tragedy, I am reminded of my Dad. I have written before too about this and I will repeat it again,


    When we four brothers used to go in the car to a movie in Mumbai, Dad never allowed us.He would give us money to take a cab also, saying two go in Car, and two in Taxi.We used to have big fights over this, but he never budged. So it is a record , we 4 brother never traveled in the same flight ever, and never the 4 wives, never he and his 3 brothers.


    He was paranoid of families being wiped out, so wanted to divide the risk.I really don’t know how relevant it is today, but after reading about this family, I am beginning to believe Dad’s words once more.


    Another incident I read, a true story in the Reader’s Digest, of a long time back, maybe 40 years back or so. A high class thief was being deported to <ST1:COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"><ST1:pLACE w:st="on">USA</ST1:pLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION>, escorted in handcuffs by a few policemen who were on the flight.


    The copilot came out, and the pilot went to the loo, thinking it will take a minute or two, the plane was on auto pilot, so the pilots were rest assured. Suddenly the door of the cabin closed, and in those days, bcs of the hijackings scare, it could not be opened from outside, only the pilot could open it from inside , so a hijacker could not take control of the plane.


    There was panic, as both the pilots were in the plane, and there was not much time left for there were mountains ahead and they had to change the route manually. Time ticked by, with no solution, and the pilot informed the passengers that they had just 15 mins to live, for the door got locked.

    Everyone was stunned and started to pray.Now , this prisioner who was handcuffed got up , and told the plane, that he can open any lock, and he can save the passengers, but he had two conditions.First the handcuff be removed, and secondly, he be given an assurance by the president of America, that he will be pardoned !


    But who the hell had the powers to assure this fellow ! Many wealthy people on the flight told him, here take this blank cheque, fill in whatever amount u want, he said what will I do with the money when I am locked for life in the jail ? Assure me freedom when we land, or let us all die in the plane, for me , jail is as good as death, for I wont get a parole ever !!!


    Ultimately sanity prevailed, everyone assured him of the pardon, the handcuffs were removed, and he borrowed a ladies hairpin, and with minutes left for the mountains to loom, he took a minute to open the gate, to the applause of the passengers.


    Well he was given a red carpet treatment when the flight landed as well as a presidential pardon, and of course loads of goodies showered on him by the richie rich guys and gals on the flight.


    Some people missed this Manglore Flight.One fellow was to take this morning flight, but his boss, told him, listen finish this work, and take the evening flight, this fellow fumed and fretted, but after he heard of the crash, he fell at his bosses feet, and told him You are God for me !


    Perceptions change in hours eh ! Boss from Villian to Hero !!!!!!!!!


    KAMAL MAHTANI
     
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  2. bhuvnidhi

    bhuvnidhi IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Kamalji, T

    The Managalore Tragedy is disturbing me from yesterday and had a sleepless night yeterday.I was thinking of writing about the same in IL but was not able to write as I was too disturbed.

    I wish there are more stringent actions against the pilots who play with so any lives.
    I recently read somewhere where the ground control were done by the kid of the person who was responsible for this.

    The pilot overshot 2000 miles.OMG!:spinWhatever it means I can understand that it is too disastrous.

    158 lives is not a joke.What a tragedy to watch the news.

    I was thinking from yesterday , what could be done to avoid such mishaps in future.The Black box is still not found to know what has happenned exactly.I can only pray to god that such things do not happen in future.

    And the drama our ministers play is just infuriating.Praful patel offers to resign.What the hell?Is he not suppose to support now instead of resigning?Why can't he resign after the episode is over and he has done with his responsibility of cleaning this mishap?People just run away in the name of "taking the moral responsibility".

    Media again is trying to take mileage out of the situation.One particular channel went to an extent of showing the facebook prof of the pilot.:rant

    May the poor souls rest in peace.What else can we say in such situations?
     
  3. Padmini

    Padmini IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Kamalji,
    As you have mentioned, very shocking and pathetic news about this air crash.
    According to sources, the pilots did not report any malfunction to the Airport Traffic Control (ATC), before landing at the Mangalore Airport.

    The 'table-top' Mangalore airport is considered tricky for aircraft landings and take-offs, particularly in the rainy season. The runway is on top of a hill and surrounded by deep gorges that are just 30 metres from the runway with tropical forests on three sides of the mountain.

    Aviation experts say the airport leaves no room for error as it does not have an overshoot area, which means that if a pilot makes a mistake and lands too far down the runway, it could lead to a disaster.Whatever may be the reason so many innocent lives were lost.
    Some lucky people escaped from the hands of death.
    So shocking to read about the some pilots showing indifference to their work, when so many lives of the passengers are in their hands :rantThere are some pilots who risk their their lives to save the passengers.For example,

    Stunned survivors of the Hudson River plane crash said only the brilliance of the pilot had averted a catastrophe.
    After two engines failed minutes after take-off, the pilot managed to steer the crippled jet from Manhattan's buildings and safely crash-land into the icy river.
    It is thought the US Airways Airbus 320 had hit a flock of birds causing the engines to explode. According to experts the pilot, dad of two Chesley B. Sullen-berger III, 57, even managed to land at the correct angle to stop the jet sinking - giving all 155 on board time to scramble to safety.So, fate played a role in the Manglore air crash !!!Astonished to read the brilliance of the prisoner!!
    I feel your Dad is very much correct in his belief because I also do have the same fear !
    We are not in a condition to do anything but to pray for the innocent souls . Let all the souls rest in peace.
    with love
    pad






     
  4. Pavithra55

    Pavithra55 Gold IL'ite

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    hi ladies
    even i am disturbed after the air crash news flashed on tv.. its very saddening news to our entire nation. we all need to pray for the departed souls and for the relatives of them. very pathetic about the safety issues. hope so our prayers will be kind of morale support the families who lost their beloveds
     
  5. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear kamalji,

    Yes, a very sad thing and I kept thinking of the passengers. How much they would have been looking forward to being back with their family in India,little knowing that life is going to end in a few minutes.Scary,really.

    But I was wondering about the punishment to these pilots if, in case it is established that it is their fault.this fellow seems to have been good so maybe there was some other problem ?

    Sometimes mistakes do happen in any profession but people like doctors or pilots can never be complacent because they deal with human lives, no?

    That story of the high class chief was very interesting .RD always had these interesting anecdotes.:)
     
  6. kelly1966

    kelly1966 Platinum IL'ite

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    Kamalji... too sad and shocking... innocent lives lost due to human negligence... too disturbing to talk about... we can go on and on discussing and doing postmortem on this subject....
    I know alot of elderly people having the same logic as your Dad in case of the family travelling together but I say if we all perish together then we don't leave anyone to mourn otherwise life becomes too sorrowful for the survivor...
    K
     
  7. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Bhuvnidhi,

    Yes i read about the kid and i too was shocked.How can they play this kind of a prank, this is serious business.

    And regarding praful patel, well wht is the need to resign.

    Do u know this, i read yesterday ?

    that Air india has passed a circular to all the air india pilots to have a soft landing, which means the pilot has to go way ahead of the line to land, so he can land softly, but if the runway is short, then this Manglore accident can happen.This came in yesterdays paper and i was shocked.Maybe this pilot was trying this lanmding and overshot the runaway.

    Sad really.

    Welcome to my bloogs.

    Regards

    kamal
     
  8. Sriniketan

    Sriniketan IL Hall of Fame

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    Very sad incident Kamalji.
    The other information you had mentioned about the pilots in the cockpit makes me :spin. How many lives are in their hands ? Do they ever think about it?

    Intelligent thief..isn't it! Saved other passengers lives and his life too..:idea

    sriniketan
     
  9. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dea r Pads,

    What happened is sad.
    This pilot did 19 safe landings at Manglore and this was his 20<SUP>th</SUP> one.

    Could be pilot fatigue, could be another thing, that the pilot tried a soft landing, which means u have to taxi in the air over the runaway, and then land all the wheels together , so that there is no bump at landing, but for that u need a long runaway.


    Either way sad.

    Regards

    Kamal
     
  10. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Pavitra,

    Yes sad indeed and we pray for the families of the departed souls, so sad it must be for them.

    Regards

    Kamal
     

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