What was that streak of light in the sky? When Vishal Sikka was puzzled over a Falcon

Recently, a Jet Airways flight from Riyadh to Mumbai found itself in the sand dunes, instead of the runway. The pilots mistook a taxiway for the runway, the former being pathways leading to and off the runway, and attempted to take off. By the time the pilots realised their mistake, it was too late, putting the lives of 150 passengers on board at risk. The pilots’ licenses got suspended.

In the year 2017, two Air Berlin pilots ignored the standard landing procedure and banked the A330 sharply to the left, flying low over the airport and extremely close to the control tower. This stunt left the passengers fearing for their lives, believing they would be incinerated within seconds. Despite landing safely, this triggered a Federal Aviation Administration investigation, which eventually led to the suspension of both pilots.

Image: www.airberlingroup.com

In May 2010, an Air India pilot crash landed in Mangalore, killing 158 people. The pilot fell asleep an could be heard snoring heavily on the cockpit voice recorder. The official inquiry concluded that the Serbian captain was asleep for more than half of the three-hour flight from Dubai and was ‘disorientated’ when he attempted landing.

In January 2014, passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight were jolted when their 737 had to brake hard while landing to come to an abrupt stop. It was found that the plane was not only on the wrong runway but at the wrong Missouri airport, thanks to the pilot’s error. According to the reports, the aviators simply confused the runway lights of the smaller airport with their intended destination. The airlines sent both the pilots on paid leave.

In October 2017, Air Asia Indonesia had to issue an apology for the inconvenience its crew caused the passengers. The flight headed from Perth to Bali experienced a sudden drop in cabin pressure, causing the plane to plummet. Panic increased after the flight attendants began screaming, leaving many of the 145 passengers terror-struck. They were set at ease once the cabin pressure was stabilised. Following the roller coaster ride from hell, the airline issued an apology “for any inconvenience caused”.