According to Hindustan Times reports: A senior male pilot who was 30 years older to his female co-pilot and refused to heed her suggestions or warnings was one of the reasons for Air India Express flight IX 452 from Abu Dhabi to Kochi with 102 passengers ending up in an open drain following a landing in heavy rain on September 4, 2017. The incident left three passengers with injuries and serious damage to the aircraft, especially the front landing gear that collapsed.

Air India Express flight skids off runway while landing at Kochi airport(Opens in a new browser tab)

Now, to avoid a repeat of such an accident, aviation authorities have advised Air India Express to ensure pilots are not paired in a way that they have a wide age gap. 

“There is not just one reason behind an accident. In the report, we tried to go to the exact details and found that probable cause of accident was incorrect judgement taken by PIC (pilot-in-command). Heavy rain and reduced visibility were contributory factors,” said a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official, who asked not to be named.

To avoid such incidents in future, the DGCA has advised Air India to ensure pilots and co-pilots do not have a wide age gap between them. “There is not just one reason behind an accident. In the report, we tried to go to the exact details and found that probable cause of accident was incorrect judgement taken by PIC (pilot-in-command). Heavy rain and reduced visibility were contributory factors,” said a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told Hindustan Times.

According to DGCA report in 2017 incident, the co-pilot told her senior that she cannot see runway and asked him to go extremely slow. She also called for a ‘follow-me’ vehicle which is used to guide flight for landing in low visibility. However, there were no response from the PIC. The aircraft took a 90 metre early turn and entered into an open rain water drain. PIC applied throttle three times for aircraft to come out of the drain, but aircraft stuck in the drain. Co-pilot requested PIC not to apply throttle.