Air India Plane crash: Sword of Honour recipient Captain DV Sathe was a former IAF officer

On August 7, Kerala witnessed a terrible tragedy as a passenger plane arriving from Dubai crashed on the risky table-top runway in Kozhikode claiming the lives of 18 passengers on board including the two pilots who were flying the Air India Express plane. However, reports suggest that the plane which had 190 passengers on board could have witnessed a worse fate if it was not for highly-skilled Captain DV Sathe piloting the Air India Plane in torrential rains. 

A highly decorated former Indian Air Force officer, Deepak Vasant Sathe, had a flying experience of over 10,800 hours. With a spotless flying career of nearly 30 years behind him, DV Sathe had also flown the MiG-21 fighter aircraft with 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows) in Ambala which had participated in the 1999 Kargil war. After this, he began to serve an instructor at the Air Force Training Academy.

With an experience of flying the Boeing 737 for over 4,400 hours, DV Sathe had taken voluntary premature retirement from the Indian Air Force and had joined Air India to take up civilian flying for the past 18 years. Captain Sathe was also the recipient of a Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy (AFA).

Speaking to news agency ANI, his family revealed that Captain Sathe was always ready to help those in need. Sathe, 59, was still remembered by his teachers in school.  

Read: Air India Plane Crash: US Ambassador Ken Juster Extends Condolences To Victims' Families 

Read: Air India Plane Crash: Pilot Aborted Two Landing Attempts Before The Mishap, Says Official

Kozhikode Air India crash

As per a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, an Air India Express flight arriving in Kozhikode skidded off the runway and had a crash landing. The runway which is of the tabletop pattern was reportedly waterlogged. The incident took place amid very heavy rainfall in the area around 7:40 PM on Friday, August 7. 

There were 191 persons on board including two pilots and 4 cabin crew. Kerala govt has confirmed that a one-year-old boy injured in the crash has succumbed to his wounds at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and is reported to be the youngest casualty in the plane crash.

Following the crash landing of the plane, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan instructed the Police and Fire Force to take urgent action. After the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has also announced that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau would conduct a formal inquiry.

Read: Air India Kozhikode Crash: All Helpline Numbers Here

Read: Air India Plane Crash: DGCA Flagged Maintenance Issues At Calicut Airport In 2019