HA tabletop runway is like a flat surface over a hill or a plateau with one or both of its ends falling through a steep slope to the surface level. So if a plane overruns during landing then there is is an accident in waiting.
There are 3 such runways in India – in Mizoram Karnataka and Kerala. Last time an accident happened on a tabletop runway was in 2010 in Karnataka. In that case, when the pilots realised they had overrun, they tried to take off the flight before it could fall from the edge. As a result the engine was ON and as soon as the flight fell there was a fire and 158 people died.
However this time the 2 seasoned pilots kept the engine off, preventing any fire after the fall, saving a lot of lives, sacrificing their own. If they had cared about their own lives they would have tried an impossible take off, just like in the previous case. And keeping the engine off, meant a certain death for the two, but saving of the lives of the passengers. And guess what they chose. One of them was a well decorated pilot. We shall remain indebted to their valour and prudence.
Reportedly, after the landing gear failed, Captain Sathe first ensured that remaining fuel was dumped, by circling the airport a few times. Just before landing, he switched off the engines. These measures made sure that the aircraft wouldn’t catch fire at any time. Then he crash landed on a surface, slippery due to excessive rain, knowing it’s a table-top runway, and skidding down the slope would first affect the front portion of the aircraft in case of impact. In other words, him. He saved hundreds of lives by sacrificing his own. Courage, determination, quick thinking, and a sense of putting others before oneself are hallmarks of the armed forces. And Mr. Sathe was a shining example of that.