Plane crash in Kerala: Captain Deepak Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar died in the crash
Bombay:
Captain Deepak Sathe, the pilot of the Air India Express flight who died with 17 others after the plane crashed at Kozhikode Airport in Kerala, had survived a plane crash in the early 1990s when ‘he was in the Indian Air Force, his cousin said. He was then hospitalized for six months, his cousin said.
Mr Sathe had suffered multiple skull injuries in the incident, but due to his “strong will and passion” he passed the test and resumed flying, the pilot’s cousin said.
The Air India Express flight out of Dubai with 190 on board passed the table runway at Kozhikode Airport on Friday evening as it landed in heavy rain, fell into a valley 35 feet below, and went down broken in half.
Mr. Sathe, 58, who was the captain, and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were among those who died in the crash.
Mr. Sathe was a former IAF Wing Commander and had served at the IAF Flight Test Center. His cousin, Nilesh Sathe, said in a Facebook post: “It’s hard to believe that Deepak Sathe, my friend more than my cousin, is no more. He was an Air India Express pilot carrying passengers from Dubai to Vande Bharat Mission, who skidded off the runway at Kozhikode International Airport last night. “
“Deepak was an experienced airline operator with 36 years of flying experience. NDA Passout, 58th Course winner and Sword of Honor laureate, Deepak served the Indian Air Force for 21 years before joining as a professional pilot at Air India in 2005. He called me just a week before and was jovial as always, ”Nilesh Sathe wrote on Facebook.
“When I asked him about the Vande Bharat mission, he was proud to bring our compatriots back from Arab countries. I asked him: ‘Deepak, are you carrying empty planes since these countries do not allow entry of passengers?’ He said, “Oh, no. We transport fruits, vegetables, medicines, etc. towards these countries and the plane never flies empty towards these countries. It was my last conversation with him, ”said the pilot’s cousin.
“He survived a plane crash in the early 90s while in the Air Force. He was hospitalized for 6 months with multiple head injuries and no one thought he would fly. again. But his strong will and love for flying got him to pass the test again. It was a miracle, “said Nilesh Sathe.
According to him, Mr. Sathe is survived by his wife and two sons, both graduates of IIT Bombay. Mr. Sathe was the son of Brigadier Vasant Sathe, who lives in Nagpur with his wife. His brother, Captain Vikas, was a soldier who sacrificed his life for India while serving in Jammu, Nilesh Sathe said.
