Inquiry reveals pilot was asleep
New Delhi, Nov. 16: Pilot error caused by “sleep inertia” on the part of the Serbian-born British commander, Capt. Zslatko Glucika, was the cause of the crash of Air India Express’ flight IX-812 at the Mangalore airport on May 22 this year that led to the death of 158 persons on board, sources said, while citing the report of the government-appointed inquiry into the crash.
The pilot had slept in the cockpit for about one hour and forty minutes during the flight from Dubai to Mangalore that lasted a little more than three hours. Just before descent, he woke up and took control of the aircraft. Capt. Glucika was also warned by his co-pilot, Capt. H.S. Ahluwalia, thrice to go-around and a fourth time that the descent was an unstabilised approach. But the Serbian-born pilot did not heed the warnings probably on account of the sleep inertia which led to loss in situational awareness and alertness. Capt. Glucika overshot the touchdown zone of the runway and landed on the 8,000-feet-long runway after overshooting 5,200 ft. On realising the plane was going to crash into the gorge beyond, he swung the throttle and tried to take-off but failed.
The court of inquiry, set up in the first week of June, submitted its report on Tuesday evening to the civil aviation ministry after making a presentation to the civil aviation minister, Mr Praful Patel. The report will be made public only after it is placed before Parliament, sources said. The court of inquiry was headed by the former Indian Air Force vice-chief, Air Marshal B.N. Gokhale (Retd.).
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