By IANS,
Mangalore (Karnataka) : From landing to plunging down a cliff – the last minutes of the Air India Express flight that crashed here Saturday morning killing 159 people:
– The Boeing 737 lands around 6.05 a.m., visibility is clear.
– Does not stop.
– Crosses the runway spillover area of 90 metres.
– Ploughs through a wall of sandbags.
– Veers off.
– One of the wings, probably the right wing, crashes into a concrete structure, technically called a localizer, that functions as landing aid.
– Wing falls off at crash point.
– Plunges 200/300 metres down a cliff.
– Catches fire after some time, leaving charred bodies, some found with seat belts on, according to rescue workers.
– Some time during the last minutes, a big crack appears in the plane’s body through which seven passengers escape. One of them a woman.
– A four-year-old girl rescued alive from the wreckage. She dies on way to a nearby hospital.
The last minutes of the Dubai to Mangalore flight were detailed by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel at a press conference.