Captain Deepak Sathe ex-wing commander in Indian Air Force staying in Mumbai lost his life along with Co-pilot and other 16 passengers in an Air mishap at Kozhikode airport.
The Incident
Under the Vande Bharat mission, Capt Deepak Sathe with co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar with 4 cabin crew were given the task to bring 185 passengers from Dubai. Due to heavy rain, the flight overshot the runway at Kozhikode airport. The plane fell in a valley 35 feet below and broken into two pieces.
Major Damage Averted
Experts say that the experience and alertness of Capt Sathe saved the lives of many passengers. As per the nature of the crash, the plane would have caught fire and the casualties would have been more. According to reports, the engines were shut down immediately after he lost control of the plane. He ensured that the plane doesn’t catch fire.
About Family
Capt Deepak Sathe was staying at Nahar Amrit Shakti housing complex in Chandivali along with his wife and two sons. Capt Deepak Sathe has a rich background of his family serving the nation. His father Brigadier Vasant Sathe, his brother Vikas Sathe, an army man who sacrificed his life serving in Jammu region.
About Capt Deepak Sathe
He had the flying experience of 36 years and served Indian Air Force for 21 years as wing commander. In 2005 he joined as Commercial Pilot with Air India.
He was an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune who flew the MiG-21 fighter aircraft with 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows) in Ambala.
Capt Deepak Sathe survived in an air crash in 1990 during his Air Force service. He had multiple skull injuries and hospitalized for 6 months. No one had thought that he will fly again.
Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd) said “Capt Deepak V Sathe was from 58th course of National Defence Academy, Pune. He was from Juliet Squadron. Sathe passed out from Air Force Academy with Sword of Honour in June 1981 and was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force,”.
Nilesh Sathe his cousin in one of his quote said:
“He called me just a week before & was jovial as always. When I asked him about the ‘Vande Bharat’ Mission, he was proud of bringing back our countrymen from Arab countries.
I asked him, “Deepak, do you carry empty aircraft since those countries are not allowing entry of passengers?” he had replied,” Oh, No. We carry fruits, vegetables, medicines etc. to these countries & never has the aircraft flown to these countries empty.”
Capt Deepak Sathe’s mother’s reaction:
Hence we all pray for those who lost their precious life in this incident.