Off the End Again

Almost as popular as that well-known Willie Nelson pop-song "On the Road Again"....So often do airplanes float off the end of seemingly adequate runways that after a while you develop a keen sense of inquiry - and wonder whether the pilots routinely hum it in chorus as they skate gaily off the end. When a Paramount Airlines Embraer 170 with 62 pax skidded off the end at India's Visakhapatnam (INS Dega Airport) into the rough and collapsed its gear on Saturday 12 May, the airport was closed. Normalcy was restored on 16 May when the Emb170 made it to the ramp for repairs. On the first day, flights of all airlines were cancelled. Apart from Paramount Airways, Indian, Air Sahara, Air Deccan and Kingfisher operate daily fights to Visakhapatnam. As the runway was operable for smaller aircraft, i.e. except Indian's and Air Sahara's, the other airlines were back operating their flights as usual from Monday. All the five airlines together fly 16 flights daily to Visakhapatnam. The overrun is being blamed upon runway works and mud being left piled deep on the runway. However a 737 of Indian Airlines had landed immediately before. But then again it has reversers. The inference on a number of aviation forums is that the EMB170 landed on a different runway (i.e. the wrong runway). The New Kerala news agency said: "the pilot got confused and landed on the wrong runway and lost control." The airport is managed by the Indian Navy and the Airport Authority of India (AAI). A new 10,000 foot runway recently completed construction. The in-flight calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) by the AAI was scheduled to be carried out a few days after the Paramount incident. The necessary approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation for using the new runway was expected by the end of the month. Paramount's off-key duet may have jumped the gun.... as well as the end.