Mangalore:
Early morning on May 22, the Air Traffic Control of the Mangalore airport began communicating with a flight that was coming in from Dubai. Half an hour later, the Air India flight crashed after the pilot overshot the runway. 158 people were killed.
NDTV has exclusive access to the transcripts of that final half-hour exchange between the pilot and the ATC. The conversation suggests there was nothing to indicate that the plane was heading into trouble, till the very end.
This is the pilot talking to the ATC Area ControlDATE: MAY 22
TIME: 5.30 AM HEADER: IX812 PILOT TO MANGALORE ATC
EXPRESS INDIA 812: What is the weather like?
ATC (Area Control): Wind: Calm. Visibility: 6 km. Clouds: Few at 2000 feet. Temperature: 27. Dew Point: 26
EXPRESS INDIA 812: Runway 24. And confirm we are identified on radar
ATC (Area Control): Radar not available sir
EXPRESS INDIA 812: Roger
In fact, the Mangalore airport's radar had not been working for two days- since May 20. The radar is a navigational aid. Flights can take off and land without it, but that increases the workload and pressure on the ATC.
We come to the last leg of conversation where the flight has established contact with the ATC Tower to land .
DATE: MAY 22TIME: 5:54 AM HEADER: IX812 PILOT TO MANGALORE ATC
EXPRESS INDIA 812: Express India 812 Good morning
DATE: MAY 22
TIME: 6:04 AM ATC (Tower): Wind calm. Runway 24. Clear to land
EXPRESS INDIA 812: Clear to land, Express
14 seconds later, this is a voice the ATC controller hears from the cockpit.
DATE: MAY 22
TIME: 6:04VOICE FROM COCKPIT: Go around Captain
This seems to be the most critical part of the conversation, according to pilots we spoke to. They say the ATC heard the co-pilot telling the pilot to go around - which means miss the landing, and let's come back again. The pilot decided against that.
Apparently not perturbed with the situation in the cockpit , since go around manoeuvres do happen occasionally , the ATC issued standard instructions for the jet once it landed on how to exit the runway.
DATE: MAY 22
TIME: 6:04 ATC (Tower): Express India 812 backtrack runway 24. Vacate via Delta
DATE: MAY 22
TIME: 6:05 Less than 20 seconds later... the ATC heard just the word CONTROL... which they now say was possibly a panicky voice from the cockpit
Within minutes IX812 was a ball of fire.