NEW DELHI: According to Airline sources, Black Box of the crashed Air India Express aircraft has been recovered.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the illfated Air India Express plane were recovered earlier from the crash site and are expected to provide vital clues about the cause of the accident that left 158 passengers and crew dead.
The CVR, which provides conversation details between the pilot and air traffic control and within the cockpit, and the FDR or the 'Black Box', containing technical data, were removed from the wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the airline sources said.
Teams, probing the worst air tragedy in the country in a decade, had begun their operations early in the morning to locate the CVR and the FDR.
Certain other instruments and aircraft portions, which would be of help in the investigation, have also been extricated from the plane's debris.
Bodies of co-pilot, air hostess brought to Mumbai
MUMBAI: The bodies of H S Ahluwalia - co-pilot of the Air India Express aircraft, which crashed at Mangalore airport on Saturday, and air hostess Tejal Kamulkar were brought here on Sunday afternoon.
While Ahluwalia is a resident of suburban Andheri, Kamulkar's family lives in Dombivali, in the neighbouring Thane district. Sujata Survase, another air hostess, who died in the crash, was also from Andheri. Her body has not yet been brought here.
Grief-stricken family members of Ahluwalia and Kamulkar were present at the airportat around 5:30pm to receive the bodies. Tejal, 24, had started her career in the aviation industry as an air hostess only four months ago by joining Air India.
Ahluwalia, 41, on the other hand, was serving as a co-pilot for fifteen years.
Mangalore crash survivor walks away unscathed from AI wreckage
MANGALORE: On Saturday, Mayan Kutty, was heralded as the chosen one. A man who walked away from the fiery wreckage which claimed 158 lives with barely a scratch on him. Over 24 hours later, one realizes that while the scars are not visible, they are indeed deeply etched on his psyche.
Kutty's been so traumatised and fearful of flying again that he doesn't ever want to board a plane. At the moment, he has no desire to go back to his job in Sharjah where he works as a salesman. "I'll settle down in my native place in Kannur," he said.
He has another interesting tale to narrate. When he walked away from the wreckage with his passport intact, he was robbed of his cellphone in the hospital when some ministers came to see him. "Someone who came with the ministers stole my mobile," he says ruefully. Of the survivors, he's likely to be out of the hospital first.
Abdulla Puthur Ismail, who was ejected from the plane when it broke into two and lived to tell his tale, has a contrasting outlook. Though he is equally shocked by the tragic incident, he intends to go back to work in Dubai as his livelihood is there. "If I had to die, I would have died on Saturday. If I don't go back to Dubai, I'll starve," he says.
There's a twist in this story too. Abdulla was admitted after the crash to the same hospital which had been booked by his brother for him for routine treatment for a nerve ailment.
Sabrina Huq, a medical student and resident of Dhaka, has injuries on her legs and hands. Shocked as she is by the incident which she thought only ever happened in the movies, she says she was saved because God must have some special task for her in life. She is doing her internship in a college here and intends to complete it.
Joel Prathap DSouza's in a private hospital with some stress to his spinal cord. He's being put through tests to ensure that all's well before he's discharged. Joel went to Dubai on a visitor's visa, got a job and came back to change it into an employment visa.
Another survivor Pradeep G K took the flight to attend his brother's wedding on May 27. He too said he wishes to return to Dubai to earn his bread and butter. Krishnan Kollikunnu hasn't yet figured what to do next.
No problem with Bajpe airport airstrip: VC Air Marshal
Bangalore: Dismissing reservations about the safety of the tabletop runway at Bajpe airport in Mangalore, where an Air India Express aircraft crashed, Vice Chief Air Marshal P K Barbora on Sunday said there was no problem with the airstrip.
"There is no problem with the airstrip there. I don't see any problem", he said on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of the maiden fight of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) at HAL airport here.
Queried about flight safety of the airport, he said "Let us first find out the reason for the crash. Then we can cure the problem".
Expressing grief over the tragedy which claimed 158 lives, Barbora said, "However, in this aviation game, the circus must go on".
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Air India's low budget carrier Air India Express overshot the airport runway here and burst into flames early yesterday, killing 158 persons. Only eight passengers survived the crash.
Heart-rending scenes at hospital, two families claim one body
Two families from Kerala claimed the same body as heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the Wenlock Hospital with grieving relatives and friends going through a traumatic experience of looking at scores of charred bodies to identify them.
Dazed relatives and friends of the victims of the Air India Express Boeing crash that killed 158 persons on Saturday thronged the Government Wenlock hospital and made efforts through the night at the mortuary to identity their near and dear ones who were burnt beyond recognition.
Doctors and nurses at the hospital were stretched to handle the situation and carried on bravely with the focus on conducting the post mortem of the crash victims quickly to prevent the bodies from deteriorating.
Several victims were from Kasaragod and Kannur districts of neighbouring Kerala.
Priority was being given to post-mortem as identifying the badly-charred bodies has become more difficult now with rapid decomposition, Superintendent of Police (Kasaragod) P Prakash said.
At the hospital, relatives of the victims were seen trying hard to identify their loved ones with their faces covered with masks.
Many bodies were charred in the fire that consumed the aircraft after it crashed yesterday, making it difficult to identify them.
An Air India representative said the carrier had made arrangements to provide free coffins to family members to shift the bodies has after identification.
Forensic experts from Hyderabad have arrived here for a detailed DNA examination of the bodies as part of the identification process.
All the eight survivors of the crash, being treated at various hospitals in the city, were out of danger. Most of them had suffered cuts, bruises or minor burn injuries.
In one case, two families from Kerala have claimed the same body, but authorities said it would be handed over only after a DNA test.
Overcome by desperation, distraught relatives of victims were also putting pressure on authorities to expedite DNA tests to identify bodies, which doctors say might take a long time.
Father of Mohamed Ali, a cabin crew member, said he had asked authorities to expedite the DNA process, which official sources here said would begin only later in the day giving further time for identification of charred bodies.
"We want the DNA process to begin immediately so that we can be free of the unbearable agony," Ali’s father who flew here from Bhopal by a flight arranged by Indian Airlines said.
The parent of another victim expressed anguish over the 'long delay' over identifying dead bodies through DNA tests.
Senior doctors at the Government Wenlock Hospital said it would normally take 10 to 15 days for a DNA test, but in the present case, DNA experts from Hyderabad have assured that the process would be expedited.
The DNA expert team, led by Dr Madhusudan Reddy arrived here from Hyderabad this morning.
All bodies of Mangalore air crash victims recovered: Air India
Mumbai: Air India on Sunday said that 87 bodies have been handed over to the family members and relatives of the passengers who died in the Mangalore plane crash.
All the 158 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, Air India spokesperson Harpreet Singh De said.
"All the 158 bodies have been recovered from the crash site and 87 bodies have already been handed over to relatives," De told reporters here on Sunday.
Air India was trying its best to provide all assistance to the passengers' family members, she said.
International Agency for emergency response and rescue operations, US-based Kenyon, has already been contacted by Air India to support the airline in the search and retrieval operation, she said.
"We have deputed one person from our emergency management to assist the relatives at Mangalore," De said.
She said that investigations by the DGCA and Air India's flight safety department were on and the black box of the crashed aircraft is yet to be recovered.
In the country's worst air disaster in a decade, a Boeing 737 plane of Air India Express overshot the airport runway in Mangalore and burst into flames yesterday morning killing 158 people but eight others survived.
The body of the co-pilot has also been claimed and the bodies of two crew members have been identified.
Air India said that it was making special arrangements to ensure visas and other travel arrangements for the family members of the victims.
"We are also making flight arrangements for the family members and relatives," the Air India spokesperson said.
Family members are being contacted and the airline is making all arrangements for their travel and other requirements. Additional flights were operated to take family members of the passengers and crew to Mangalore.
"We have set up local contact centres at all the places besides additional centres at Dubai, Calicut and Mangalore," the spokesperson said.
Business News
Ambanis bury differences
New Delhi: In a major development, the two Ambani brothers--Mukesh and Anil-- on Sunday decided to bury their differences and create an environment of harmony, co-operation and collaboration between their groups.
The harmony comes within a few days of the Supreme Court declining to give any relief to younger brother in the gas dispute.
"A new, simpler non-compete agreement executed limited to only gas-based power generation. RIL (Mukesh) and RNRL (Anil) will expeditiously negotiate gas supply arrangement as per the Supreme Court order and hope to conclude negotiations very soon," it added.
The cancellation of the existing non-compete agreement will provide enhanced operational and financial flexibility to both groups and greater ability t participate in high growth sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemical, telecom, power and financial services, the Anil Ambani Group said.
However, RIL has agreed not to enter into the gas-based power generation business for the period up to March 2022.
In an identical statement, Reliance Industries said "RIL, led by Mukesh D Ambani, and Reliance ADA Group companies, Reliance Communications, Reliance Infrastructure,
Reliance Natural Resources, and Reliance Capital, led by Anil D Ambani, have on Sunday approved and signed an agreement canceling all existing non-compete arrangements entered into between the two groups in January 2006 pursuant to the scheme of reorganisation of the Reliance Group and entered into a new simpler, non-compete Agreement with respect to only gas-based power generation.
These developments will eliminate any room for further disputes between the two groups, on matters relating to the scope and interpretation of the non-compete obligations, RIL added.
"RIL and Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) will expeditiously negotiate gas supply arrangements in accordance with the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. We hope to conclude these negotiations very soon, the RIL statement further said.
RIL and Reliance ADA Group are hopeful and confident that all these steps will create an overall environment of harmony, co-operation and collaboration between the two groups, thereby further enhancing overall shareholder value for shareholders of both groups, the RIL statment added.
SBI not to hike interest rates: Bhatt
State Bank of Indore would soon merge with the State Bank of India while a decision of five other affiliates would take some time, SBI Group Chairman O P Bhatt, said.
Speaking to mediapersons at the sideline of the inauguration of SBI 'Point of sale' (PoS) at GVK Mall here last night, he said there is no proposal to hike interest rate.
The PoS comprises a Credit Card swipe machine which is expected to be installed at various locations in the country, he said.
Bhatt said the bank may not recruit many heads and it is expected a growth of 20 per cent of credit this year.
Bhatt also inaugurated 1,111th branch of SBI at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad.
AI crash: Focus back on expat pilots
Mangalore: The crash of the Air India Express plane piloted by a Serbian national on Saturday has put the focus back on whether foreign pilots with various Indian air carriers are able to operate in a country with a diverse topography.
There are around 560 expat pilots currently employed with various airlines in India and they account for 10 per cent of the total strength of 5,500 civilian pilots.
Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the national carrier, has 125 expat pilots and they reportedly face a number of problems while operating a flight in the country when they are in the cockpit. In all, Air India has 250 expat pilots.
"Expat pilots should be removed because they are not familiar with the diverse topography in India," a retired Indian Airlines pilot, who did not wish to be identified, said.
The common problems that expat pilots face are related to communication and lack of knowledge of topography of Indian terrain, a senior pilot association official said.
According to ATC sources, air traffic controllers find it hard to communicate with expat pilots.
"Many a times, foreign pilots are unable to follow the instructions because of the difference in our accent. Also we find it hard to understand what an expat pilot is saying in his hard accent," an ATC source said.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association of erstwhile Indian Airlines has been often demanding that expat pilots must be asked to go home as there is no shortage of pilots in the country.
"We have been asking the DGCA for their removal and induction of Indian pilots. But every time, the deadline for their removal is extended due to some pressure of the airline companies," an ICA official said.
The government recently extended the time-frame for phasing out foreign pilots employed by Indian carriers by one year up to July 31, 2011.
The move came in the wake of demands by Air India and other airlines that the time be extended beyond July 31, 2010.
The existing policy for validation of foreign (pilots) licences is valid up to July 31, 2010. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had requested airline operators to submit their plan for phasing out expatriate pilots along with net requirement of these pilots beyond that date, according to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
Patel said that since 2008, the number of foreign pilots has come down considerably and gradually Indian pilots, who have mostly been co-pilots, would soon be elevated to the status of commanding pilots.
Overseas pilots were allowed to fly Indian aircraft initially as during 2004-05, there was stagnation in the aviation sector.
However, after the sector started looking up, in order to maintain the momentum, foreign pilots continued to be inducted. The DGCA has started a programme for phased reduction of the expat pilots.
According to Patel, Indian pilots are capable of flying under any condition and their training and qualification can be compared to the best in the world.
Sports News
Inter beats Bayern 2-0 to win Champions League
The Dutch master was bettered by hispupil when Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan strolled to a comfortable 2-0 victory in the Champions League final over a weak Bayern Munich team coached by his one-time boss Louis van Gaal.
The victory might also signal Mourinho's exit from Inter.
After the game, he said it was "more probable that I'll go than stay." He is tipped to take over at Real Madrid, where yesterday's final was played.
The Argentina striker Milito scored in the 35th and 70th minutes at the Bernabeu Stadium to add the title to Inter's triumphs back in 1964 and '65.
The merited victory - Inter dominated the game – meant that Inter coach Jose Mourinho completed the triple triumphs of the Champions League and domestic league and cup successes and became only the third coach to win the title with two different clubs.
Mourinho, who won it with FC Porto in 2004, out-thought Bayern coach Louis van Gaal, the man he worked for while they were at Barcelona. This time the pupil was the master as Mourinho relied on his solid defense to snuff out the threat of Bayern's Arjen Robben and expertly won the game on the counter-attack.
Milito's two goals were taken with style and he had great support from attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder and defensive midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, the Inter captain who collected the trophy in his 700th appearance for the club.
The loss meant that Bayern missed out on the treble, having also won the domestic league and cups.
"We were not good enough to impose our game," Van Gaal said. "Inter only reacted but they still won deservedly. The timing of the goals was decisive. The players learned today that it comes down to small details.
"I still have the feeling that we could have won. There were no great difference. We attacked, Inter defended. but you have to be in great shape to beat Inter and we were not today.
I still think Inter merited the win."
Franz Beckenbauer, honorary president of Bayern, said Inter deserved its victory."Bayern did not have its day. We had a few moments at the start of the second half but that was not enough," he said. "They made fewer mistakes."
After the final whistle, Mourinho walked onto the field and was congratulated by his players in a low key celebration by his standards. In the past he has been known to race across the pitch to celebrate some of his most famous victories, infuriating opposing supporters.
Before the medal ceremony, he left his Inter players and walked over to the Bayern camp, hugging van Gaal as he had promised at the news conference on the eve of the final.
Although Bayern had chances early in the second half, Inter's defense was rock solid as it has been all through the competition, especially when it knocked defending champion Barcelona out in the semifinal.
The triumph was also a big one for Mourinho amid speculation that he might walk out on Inter and move to Real Madrid, the club that plays at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The first half was a tale of the contrasting fortunes of two Dutchmen.
Bayern's Arjen Robben, left rolling on the ground after three solid tackles by Inter defenders in the first 13 minutes, earned himself three shooting chances but couldn't recreate the accurate strikes that eliminated Fiorentina and Manchester United.
Inter's Wesley Sneijder, by contrast, forced Bayern 'keeper Joerg Butt into a punching save and set up the first half strike by Milito.
From a huge kick upfield by Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Milito headed the ball on to Sneijder who returned it immediately with a superbly accurate pass through the Bayern defense. Milito held off a defender before firing past the 'keeper from 12 meters, sparking wild celebrations among the Inter fans at the other end of the stadium.
It should have been 2-0 just before halftime when Sneijder and Milito combined again. This time the Argentina striker put the Dutchman clear but his shot was blocked by
Butt. In a fast-moving sequence in the opening minute of the second half, Bayern almost equalized and then went close to falling 2-0 behind.
Bayern opened up the Inter defense and Hamit Altintop presented Thomas Mueller with a clear shooting chance only for the 20-year-old striker to see his shot bounce off the 'keeper's legs.
Inter survived that scare to break out at the other end.
Milito burst down the left and crossed to Goran Pandev, whose left-footed lob was acrobatically finger-tipped over the bar by Butt.
Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar matched that when Robben's shot from the corner of the area appeared to be curling inside the far post but the Brazilian dived to push it away.
It was a crucial save as Inter broke out to score a second which effectively killed off the game. Samuel Eto'o's pass found Milito on the left and the striker twisted past Daniel van Buyten before firing inside the far post in front of the Inter fans.
ICC probe into match fixing allegations routine exercise: PCB
ICC's probe into match-fixing allegations during Pakistan's tour of Australia early this year is just a routine exercise and not much should be read into it, PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt said on Sunday.
ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chief Paul Condon had said in London on Thursday that the ACSU was probing if match-fixing played any part in Pakistan's tour of Australia but Butt said it was just a routine exercise done in every series between any two countries.
"It (ICC's probe) is a matter of routine practice looked into every series played anywhere in the world. If the ICC had found anything suspicious on the Australian tour they would have informed us and called for action," Butt told reporters after the meeting of the PCB Governing Council here.
"It is the job of the ICC anti-corruption and security unit to see that the sport remains free of corruption and all member Boards support their efforts, he said.
"I have said it before there is no match fixing taking place in our team and nor have we found any evidence that any player is involved," he added.
Butt was also scathing in his attack on Pakistan Senators for their criticism that the Board had not done enough to take action against players allegedly involved in match-fixing during the Australian tour.
"How can anyone make such accusations without having any proof of match fixing taking place? If the Senators have any direct evidence that there is match fixing in the team they should show it because the Board has not shown them or given them anything in this context," Butt said.
"If the Senators had inferred something from watching the inquiry committee proceedings, it was their point of view.
But, we have found no evidence of match fixing on Australian tour," said the former Test player.
Butt said the Senators had some misunderstanding with regard to the Board over the payment of extra dues to a construction company that carried out construction work of a new pavilion building at the Gaddafi stadium.
The PCB chief informed that the inquiry committee that looked into the team's poor performance in Australia had under its terms of reference taken steps to penalise player for indiscipline and violating the code of conduct.
Butt said the Governing Council approved the budget for the fiscal year 2009 which would now be sent to the ICC as per their terms and conditions for all member countries.
Akmal threatens to sue coaches over match-fixing allegations
Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has threatened to sue the team's former coaches Intikhab Alam and Aaquib Javed if they don't apologise for suggesting that he was involved in match-fixing during the disastrous tour of Australia.
Akmal said he wanted a public apology from Intikhab and Aaqib for raising suspicions about his performance on the tour earlier this year.
"I want an apology from them or else they should substantiate their claims that I deliberately left a run-out in the Sydney test. They must come up with evidence that I am linked with bookmakers," Kamran said.
The wicketkeeper-batsman made it clear that he was fed up trying to explain that he was not involved in match-fixing.
"I go out everyday and they are people passing comments on me. My family is deeply disturbed with these fresh allegations," he said.
Intikhab and Aaqib told a Pakistan Cricket Board inquiry committee that they had their suspicions about the performances of Kamran and all-rounder Rana Naved in Australia.
They specifically expressed suspicions about the performance of Kamran in the second Test in the lost Sydney during which the keeper dropped four catches and missed an easy run-out.
The video recordings of the former coaches caused an uproar and reignited the match-fixing issue and the ICC also stated it was examining Pakistan's dismal tour of Australia this year when they were whitewashed in the Test and one-day series.
Though PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has made it clear that the inquiry into the Australian tour is a closed chapter and they found no evidence of match-fixing, Kamran who left on Saturday for a film shoot in London said he wanted an apology.
"If they don't apologise or don't substantiate their allegations I will go to court. I wanted to go to court earlier also against a media outlet but the PCB persuaded me against do so," he said.
"But this time since both Intikhab and Aaqib are PCB employees, when I return I will talk to the board Chairman about my intentions," he added.
Kamran said that he was surprised at the statements of both the former coaches.
"They remained coaches since last year and if they had suspicions about my performance in Sydney why did they pick me for the one-day series that followed," he stated.
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