Air-India Express Flight AXB 1344 Runway Overrun at Kozhikode (VT-AXH)

Flight Operations and Accident Sequence On 7 August 2020, Air-India Express Limited operated a Boeing 737-800, registration VT-AXH, on a Vande Bharat Mission repatriation flight between Kozhikode and Dubai. The aircraft departed Kozhikode for Dubai at 10:19 IST (04:49 UTC) and landed at Dubai at 08:11 UTC without incident. The same crew departed Dubai for Kozhikode at 10:00 UTC as flight AXB 1344, carrying 184 passengers and six crew members. During the return leg, AXB 1344 made two approaches at Kozhikode. The first approach on runway 28 ended in a missed approach. The second approach was made on runway 10, and the aircraft landed at 14:10:25 UTC in light rain with a 15-knot tailwind component and a ground speed of 165 knots. The aircraft touched down approximately 4,438 feet down an 8,858-foot runway and could not be stopped, resulting in a runway overrun. The aircraft exited the runway 10 end at 84 knots, overshot the runway end safety area, broke ILS antennae and a fence, and descended approximately 110 feet below runway elevation. It struck the perimeter road at 41 knots and came to rest near the perimeter wall. Fuel leaked from both wing tanks, but no post-crash fire occurred. The aircraft was destroyed, with the fuselage breaking into three sections and both engines separating from the wings. ## Casualties and Rescue Nineteen passengers and both pilots were fatally injured. Seventy-five passengers and one cabin crew member suffered serious injuries, while ninety passengers and three cabin crew members sustained minor or no injuries. Rescue operations were conducted by airport fire and rescue crews, Central Industrial Security Force personnel, and civilians, and were completed at 16:45 UTC (22:15 IST).