370+ lives saved by Air India pilots

The pilots of Air India have done something heroic which saved more than 370 lives.

Senior commander Rustom Palia and second-in-command, Captain Sushant Singh were both quick to act when it was the hour of crisis.

The flight was from Delhi-New York. It is one of the longest flights in the world.

As the pilots flew continuously for 14 hours, they came to see that the weather conditions around them was getting disastrous.

The airport itself was becoming volatile and the systems of their nine-year-old Boeing 777-300 were failing.

As the fuel was running out, the pilots could not land at the airport. They tried to keep the plane up and go for an airport near New York.

Due to the instrument problems, they could not conduct ILS (Instrument Landing System) at JFK airport in New York.

They only had one source radio altimeter and a Traffic Collision and Avoidance System failure.

The systems related to Auto-land, wind shear systems, Auto Speed Brake and the Auxiliary Power Unit were not working.

All the three ILS systems on the plane were gone as well. The fuel in plane was being used up quickly. Going for a longer route would put everyone on the plane at risk. They had to do something quick.

So they made the decision to do something risky but something that saved everyone.

The pilots decided to attempt a ‘non-precision’ approach. They used the functional navigation aids that was still available to them.

As the clouds started clearing in Newark, the pilots decided to land there.

However, Air India does not actually provide training on non-precision approach and it is not available in the Boeing operational guidelines.

Despite all that, the pilots safely landed. Rustom Palia and Sushant Singh made sure that everyone landed safely using their own instincts and quick thinking.

Image Reference: Thebetterindia