PALAKKAD: Over five years after the air disaster at Karipur that claimed 21 lives, the wreckage of the ill-fated Air India Express flight 1344 has quietly arrived at an unlikely destination — the bustling scrap yards near Pattambi.
The remains of the aircraft are now being dismantled piece by piece at a yard in Parappuram, Ongallur. The Karakkad and Ongallur areas are home to the biggest scrap yards in Kerala.
The aircraft — a Boeing 737-800 — had crashed while landing at Calicut International Airport on August 7, 2020.
Following the completion of investigations and other formalities, the airline recently floated an online tender to dispose of the damaged aircraft. A veteran scrap dealer from Karakkad won the bid.
“There were bidders from different parts of the country,” the dealer told TNIE on condition of anonymity, due to the tragic circumstances associated with the aircraft. “We believe this is the first time an aircraft is being scrapped in Kerala. However, I do not wish to be named as the aircraft met with an accident that claimed several lives.”
According to him, the wreckage transported to the yard weighs more than 45 tonnes. “Only metal parts remain of the aircraft that caught fire in the accident. Authorities removed some vital sections before it was handed over,” he said. The dismantling began soon after the wreckage arrived at the yard. Workers have started separating the structure into aluminium panels, copper wiring and other recyclable metals. Over the next few days, the aircraft will be completely dismantled and processed as scrap.
The aircraft had been operating a repatriation flight from Dubai to Kozhikode under the Vande Bharat Mission during the Covid pandemic. Carrying 184 passengers and six crew members on board, the flight attempted to land at Karipur amid heavy rain and poor visibility.
During landing, the aircraft overshot the tabletop runway, plunged down a steep slope and broke into two pieces. The crash killed 21 people, including both pilots, while more than a hundred passengers were injured.
Investigations by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau pointed to an unstable approach during landing, adverse weather conditions, and a tailwind as contributing factors behind the accident.
Pattambi is known as a hub for scrapping items from tube lights to batteries to parts of ships, old vehicles and salvaging reusable parts. However, the arrival of an aircraft wreckage has drawn unusual attention among workers in the trade.
“For us scrap dealers the aircraft is just another massive metal structure to be dismantled. Yet, its journey to a Pattambi scrap yard marks the final chapter in a disaster that once gripped the nation,” the bidder said.
Tender floated recently
The aircraft — a Boeing 737-800 — had crashed while landing at Calicut International Airport on August 7, 2020.
Following the completion of investigations and other formalities, the airline recently floated an online tender to dispose of the damaged aircraft. A veteran scrap dealer from Karakkad won the bid.
The remains of the aircraft are now being dismantled piece by piece at a yard in Parappuram, Ongallur.