Captain Deepak Vasant Sath was the commander of the Air India flight. He died in a plane crash at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on August 7, 2020.
Wiki/Biography
He was born in Dehradun, Uttarakhand in 1961 (aged 59 at the time of his death). He received his education at Cambrian Hall, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He graduated from the Air Force Academy, Dundigal near Hyderabad in June 1981. He was a graduate of the 58th batch of the National Defense Academy, Pune.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 10″
Eye color: Grey
Hair color: Gray and white (half bald)
Family, Caste and Wife
He was born into a Hindu family. His father, Vasant Sathe, is a retired soldier from the Indian Army Education Corps and his mother is Neela Sathe. His elder brother, Vikas Sathe, a second lieutenant in the Indian Army, died in a road accident in 1981 while returning to Punjab from a military exercise. He is married to Sushama Namjoshi Sathe and has two sons, Dhananjay and Shantanu. Dhananjay is an engineer and executive director at Rapyuta Robotics in Bangalore, while Shantanu lives in the US. He lives with his family in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe’s parents
Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe’s mother
Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe and his wife
Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe with his wife and son
Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe; Wife and Son – Dhananjay Sathe
Profession
He joined the Indian Air Force in 1981 and retired as an ace test pilot in 2003. Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retired) said in an interview,
This is really sad. Sathe was a fellow pilot in Aircraft and Systems Test Establishment STE (IAF’s flight test establishment). RIP Tester. All test pilots have a call sign prefixed with “Tester.”
die
He was appointed as the pilot of flight IX 1344 along with co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar. On August 7, 2020, Captain Deepak and co-pilot Akhilesh were flying an Air India Express flight back from Dubai when their plane crashed and broke into two at Kozhikode International Airport in Kerala. It was a flight under the “Vande Bharat” mission to bring back Indians stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plane dropped 30 feet and hit a wall. The plane was a 13-year-old Boeing 737-8.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India said:
Air India Express AXB1344, B737 from Dubai to Calicut, 191 people on board, visibility 2000 meters, heavy rain, after landing on runway 10, continued to run to the end of the runway and fell into the valley and broke into two pieces.
Facts/Trivia
- In his spare time he likes to play squash.
- He graduated from the Air Force Academy at Dundigarh near Hyderabad with the Sword of Honour; an award given to cadets on the basis of their merits.
- His hobbies are badminton, squash and horse riding.
- He is the first Maharashtrian to win all eight awards of the Air Force.
- He told relatives that he would surprise his mother, who lives in Bharat Nagar, Nagpur, on her birthday. His nephew, Dr Yashodhan Sathe, said in an interview,
Today is Captain Sutter’s mother’s birthday. He last saw his parents in March and has been in touch with them by phone since then. Their last call was the day before yesterday.”
- His mother said in an interview:
He used to tell me not to go out because of the pandemic. He would tell me that he would feel bad if anything happened to me. Suddenly this tragedy happened…what can we do in the face of God’s will? He was very helpful and willing to do anything for others. During the Gujarat floods, he once carried the children of soldiers on his shoulders and saved them. He was a very smart officer.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education