Air India Express flight touched down beyond safe zone, death toll rises to 18

As investigators look into the causes for the crash of an Air India Express plane flight coming from Dubai at Kozhikode on Friday evening, preliminary information indicates poor weather conditions and a possible late touchdown as possible factors. Early inputs from the airport and air traffic control officials indicate the aircraft touched down way beyond where it should have on the runway. A senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said it landed beyond the 3,000-feet mark, when it should have ideally done so no further than the 500-feet mark. Officials are examining whether poor visibility due to heavy rainfall was the reason.