Pilot who breathe his last in Kerala Plane crash was Decorated Ex-Air Force Officer

Kozhikode, Aug 8: Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe who was the pilot of the Air India Express flight (AXB1344, B737), was among 18 who breathed his last when the aircraft skidded off the runway at Kerala's Kozhikode International Airport on Friday.

 

 

The Air Indian Express flight from Dubai, skidded off the runway this evening and split into two pieces while landing at Kozhikode airport. At least 18 people, including the pilot and co-pilot, have been killed in the tragic mishap. The pilots have been identified as Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe and First Officer Akhilesh Kumar who flew for Air India.

 

Winger Commander Sathe was a decorated ex-Indian Air Force Pilot, who had served the force for 22 years. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Sathe was commissioned into the service in 1981. He retired from Air Force in 2003 as a squadron leader and moved to commercial aircraft flying. He was an accomplished fighter pilot and skilled at operating Boeing 737 commercial flights.

 

According to reports, Sathe was a decorated officer who ranked 58 at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and was also awarded Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad. He had also served with No.17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, which has recently been recommissioned with the IAF's latest acquisition, the Rafale fighter jet.

 

According to sources, Sathe was very experienced on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft and he had also flown the Airbus A-310.