'I flew Boeing planes for 40 years - why Air India tragedy was bound to happen'
Harrowing footage of the Air India tragedy this week showed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner smashing into the ground before erupting into a fireball shortly after takeoff.
It was bound for Gartwick, London, after taking off in Ahmedabad, India, with 242 on board. One person, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, survived.
Ross Aimer, a pilot for top airlines including United Airlines from 1964 to 2004, says he's not surprised by the crash given recent issues with the 787, reports The Express.
Aimer said: "I'm shocked, but knowing some of the issues with the 787, I'm not that surprised. It was bound to happen. It's way too early to speculate. There's no way we know enough to even think about what may have gone wrong, but I saw the initial video of the takeoff.
"The aircraft was full of fuel and bound to Gatwick. It's a tragedy, but we have no idea what may have caused the airplane to crash. Looks like the weather may not have been an issue because you probably saw the video, it's in clear skies. The only thing I could think of is possibly an engine failure, because the aircraft sinks on takeoff. It's at its highest gross weight at that time."
It is the first crash involving the model since its introduction in 2011, but there have been issues that have forced some flights to be grounded. The US safety regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has had to investigate a number of concerns over the years, reports the Guardian. It also comes after Boeing was rocked by two crashes involving its 737 Max model in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019.
Aimer, who lives in California, said he suspects authorities will be considering grounding the plane. He added: "It looks to me like that aircraft basically sank into the ground. I don't know about the flaps, but the 787 is perhaps the most advanced technology available at this moment.
"Air India may have had the Rolls-Royce Trent engine option on it. There was some controversy on that engine itself. It's called the Trent engine, and it had been grounded for a while. It had issues with corrosion and cracks within the engine. So it's not only the aircraft itself, it's a possibility that there was an engine issue too. I'm sure the authorities will look into this. In the past we've had engines and aircraft grounded, and I'm sure if they find out that there are any issues to be looked at, they will think about grounding the airplane."
Authorities said there were 159 Indian nationals on the plane, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. The only remaining survivor was a British man who lives in London. Asked what would be going through his mind if he was still an active pilot, Aimer said: "Like any pilot with some experience would do, I'd be extremely cautious.
"But that's a normal way till we find out what exactly happened. To make a blanket statement that the aircraft is not safe would be irresponsible. But I'm not surprised, because we know there were a lot of problems with this aircraft, and they continue to have issues with manufacturing."
He added: "I'm afraid so (people may lose confidence in aviation). I don't blame people being leery about aviation after all these crashes that are happening."
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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Air India Flight 182: Cork photographer recalls taking iconic image of 1985 bombing tragedy
One of the most poignant photographs ever printed on the front page of this publication was that of the lines of dead bodies in the temporary morgue set up in Cork for the victims of Air India flight 182. A bomb placed on board the flight by militants exploded off the Kerry/West Cork coast on June 23, 1985, with the plane plunging into the Atlantic. Forty years on, photographer Denis Minihane can still recall second by second the lead-up to snapping that iconic photograph, which also showed a group of medics gathered in the background of the image. Now retired after spending 47 years as a press photographer, the then 26-year-old snapper had been looking forward to a busy afternoon shooting sports photos in Thurles for two Munster hurling games. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading But when news broke of the horror air disaster off the west Cork coast, Denis' day took a different turn. He was not to know it as he returned from Thurles to the offices of the Cork Examiner on Academy Street in Cork city centre but his image would become synonymous with the tragedy unfolding in the sea off West Cork. Denis's image from the temporary mortuary set up in the then Cork Regional Hospital was syndicated across the world, and was featured in the New York magazine, Life, which was very influential at the time. Former Irish Examiner photographer Denis Minihane's picture of the remains of victims from the Air India Flight 182 air disaster on June 23, 1985, in a temporary morgue at Cork Regional Hospital (now Cork University Hospital). The world exclusive photograph taken through a window was published in newspapers and magazines all over the world including LIFE magazine and won a news picture of the year award the following year. Photo: Denis Minihane Looking back, the Skibbereen-born photographer said: 'It was the most significant photograph I took in my career really. Sadly it was one of a disaster. Such is life.' Denis retired last year and recalls entering the photographic trade after seeing his father Michael work as a photographer with the then Cork Examiner. After his Leaving Certificate, Denis entered the dark room in the Cork Examiner in October 1976, not knowing that one of the most iconic images of Irish press photography history would his. He recalls: 'On the morning of the 23rd of June 1985, I was marked to go to Thurles to cover two Munster hurling championship games and the 11 o'clock news came on on RTÉ Radio 1 and it said that Air India flight 182 had gone down off the Irish coast. "So we came back to Cork and parked the car and came into the office and it was rather difficult to get into the photographic department because it was packed with photographers who had arrived in Cork from different countries around the world.' He says of himself that he was just a 'young fella' at the time, aged 26. Forty years on, photographer Denis Minihane can still recall second by second the lead-up to snapping that iconic photograph. Picture: Chani Anderson He continues: 'I went out and attended the press conference (at the Regional Hospital) and there was a huge gathering of photographers and camera crews at it. I managed, through enquiries, to find out where the remains of the people taken from the wreckage were being kept and it was a temporary morgue that was set up in the gymnasium. "I got as far as the door and I obviously was not able to get any further so I went around the back of the building and I could see that there was a very high window. "But it was just down to my level so I could just about see in and didn't know if I could get a photograph or not because there was a very high thick net curtain, full length, inside the window, down on to the window sill. "So I could barely see into the room. I was by the window for quite a while and it was getting late in the evening. It must have been 10.30pm, may be 10.30/11 o'clock at night and I saw someone coming towards the window with a ladder and I move, I step back around the side of the building. I thought I had been seen but obviously I hadn't because what it was was that somebody had gone up and opened the window to let some air in to the building. Seeing his chance, Denis decided to have another attempt at seeing into the mortuary and recalls: 'That's how I had a gap of maybe two inches to get the photograph through and I managed to get a few frames.' But even then, he didn't know if his attempt was successful, in a time when photography took more patience than today. He explains: 'In those days, you had to come back to the office and process so I didn't know whether I had a photograph or not and it was a nervous seven or eight minutes developing the film – an anxious wait. Anxious also because it was also an upsetting scene that I had seen. It was a poignant scene.' He recalls seeing the images develop and night editor Liam Moher writing the caption for his now famous image, which included the words 'world exclusive picture'. He says: 'I just didn't understand the significance of it I suppose. It was over my head. I had done what I had done because it was my job and he had asked me to go and do it but I didn't realise how significant the picture was going to be in the following days and years afterwards.' He is mindful of the pain and suffering of the families and friends of those who were lost in the Air India disaster. He continues: Looking back at the photograph now, it evokes memories of that awfully sad day and my heart still goes out to the families and friends of all those people who died so tragically in that awful disaster when the bomb exploded off the Irish coast. The flight was due to stop over in London's Heathrow before travelling to India for stops in Delhi and Mumbai. Passengers were primarily from Canada, but others on board came from India and Britain, as well as other countries. More than 80 of them were children. Two men accused of murder and conspiracy relating to the crash were found not guilty in March 2005. It was alleged that the bombing was plotted by Sikh extremists in Canada as revenge on India for its storming of Sikhism's Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. Read More A selection of images chosen by the Irish Examiner picture desk
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
'We prepared for survivors': A Navy officer's memory of Air India Flight 182, 40 years on
Hundreds of people including relatives of those who died in the Air India disaster will attend the 40th anniversary commemoration for the 329 passengers and crew who were killed when a bomb exploded on the transatlantic flight off the coast of West Cork. The main commemoration will be held on Monday, June 23, in the village of Ahakista, the nearest point on land to where Air India flight 182 exploded, scattering bodies and debris into the Atlantic about 190km off the Irish coast. This commemoration will get under way at 8am and is expected to be attended by a number of senior Canadian and Indian diplomats, along with Irish politicians and members of the emergency services, some of whom who are now retired but were involved in the original search and recovery operation. The navy will be represented by its current commanding officer Commodore Michael Malone. The plane's wreckage being brought ashore. A memorial built in the West Cork coastal village was unveiled exactly one year after the 1985 disaster. Its centrepiece is a sundial on a rounded stone base. Created by Cork sculptor Ken Thompson, it is designed to capture the sun's rays at 8.13am, which is the exact time the Boeing 747-237B disappeared from radar. The flight was heading from Montreal for a stopover in London and then to Delhi. It was blown up in Irish airspace while at an altitude of 9,400m. Of those killed, the majority were of Indian descent. There were 280 Canadian citizens, 27 British and 22 Indian passport holders onboard, plus other nationalities. There were more than 80 children onboard. Initially, it was not known what the cause was, but it was quickly determined a bomb had been placed onboard. It was planted by Sikh separatists and was the world's deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the 9/11 Osama Bin Laden-led attacks on the US in 2001 killed more than 3,000. The jet's bombing remains the largest mass murder in modern Canadian history and the worst loss of life ever suffered by Air India. On June 13 of this year an Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in the tragic loss of 241 lives on board and at least 29 fatalities on the ground. The Indian Embassy in Ireland lauded the local community for it response to the 1985 disaster. It said: "The spirit with which the people of Ahakista and the nearby areas rose to the occasion in solidarity with the families of the victims is a saga but a story largely unknown. Apart from emergency assistance in identifying the bodies and locating and collecting the debris, they opened their hearts and homes to complete strangers and generously put them up in their hour of grief. They continue to do so to this day. The Naval Service mounted a major recovery operation, which was aided by the RAF, which sent in Sea King helicopters. In total, 131 bodies were recovered in what was the biggest off-shore search and recovery operation ever mounted by the Irish State. 'We prepared for survivors' Captain James Robinson, Officer Commander Naval Operations, aboard the le Eithne in 2000. It was coordinated by Lieutenant Commander James Robinson, who captained LÉ Aisling, which was one of five ships at the scene. At the time, Robinson's ship had been searching for Spanish trawlers fishing illegally off the Kerry coast when it picked up an alert at 8.52am from Valentia Radio, which said an aircraft had disappeared from radar screens and gave him the likely position of where the plane came down. He said initially they were not told what kind of aircraft was missing, but soon got the awful news it was an Air India Boeing 747 with 329 people on board. 'We prepared for an awful lot of survivors. Spare blankets and sheets were taken out of stores. The sick bay was prepared. Soup was put on the stove. We were going to spare no effort to save as many of those poor people as possible,' he said. LÉ Aisling arrived at the crash scene shortly after 11am. One large merchant ship, the Laurentian Forest, was in the vicinity while overhead a Royal Air Force Nimrod aircraft was circling the area dropping smoke floats to mark concentrations of wreckage. The senior navy officer decided on two objectives. The most important was to recover as many bodies as possible, and as quickly as possible. Robinson was lucky to have an experienced diving team onboard who went out on Gemini RIB (rigid inflatable boats) to gather as many bodies as they could. Though exhausted, the diving team refused to be replaced when Robinson ordered it. They launched 14 times during the day to recover the bodies. The bodies were wrapped in sheets and stowed below decks. The engineers' office and the shipwright's workshop were designated as make-shift morgues. The first body recovered from the crash site arriving at Cork Airport. At the height of the search, Mr Robinson was controlling the movements of 19 ships, a British Nimrod and American Hercules which supplied over-head surveillance technology, and eight military helicopters supplied by the British and US. He also enlisted the help of Spanish trawlers in the area, after finding one crewman on a merchant ship in the area who could speak English and Spanish and he was detailed to relay messages to the trawlers. The merchant vessels also acted as landing pads for helicopters bringing back bodies and other rescue helicopters transported them to the mortuary at the then Cork Regional Hospital, now CUH. When night fell, Robinson released the ships and trawlers from the operation. 'Aisling was left alone in the midst of all that desolation. For the first time since it kicked off, I had time to reflect. I hoped that one day I would look the people who did this in the eye. "I then reflected on what had been achieved by the people under my command and I felt immensely proud but humbled. Most of the people on Aisling were under 25 and many just teenagers. They carried out everything I had asked of them without question,' he said. Robinson has not been to the commemoration for some years but will be attending on Monday where he will lay a wreath alongside several of his former shipmates. 'The families of those who died are getting older so it could be the last big commemoration,' he said. Local school children will form a choir at the ceremony, which is being organised by Cork County Council. A number of locals helped to recover vital pieces of wreckage as well, especially those living by the shore. One was James O'Mahony. At the time he lived close to Trarurim Strand, which is about 10km west of Ahakista. 'People living by the shore would find bits and pieces [of the plane's wreckage] and hand it over the council who would pass it on to the relevant authorities,' Mr O'Mahony said. Mr O'Mahony has since moved to just 1km from the Ahakista memorial and will attend the commemoration this year because it's the 40th anniversary. He has been to a number of them before and met some of the relatives of those who lost their lives, mainly from India. Most of the victims were Hindus and lived in Ontario. The second ceremony of the day will take place at St Michael's Cemetery in the Cork suburb of Blackrock, where two of the victims are buried. Anna Maria Alexander and her daughter, Rena, were both laid to rest in a single grave there. They are the only victims buried in this country as all the other bodies recovered after the plane went down were taken to be buried in their respective home countries by relatives. Finbarr Archer, who has driven lord mayors of Cork for many years, has looked after their graves for the past 40 years. Well-known Cork figure, Finbarr Archer. In June 1985, Finbar was working as an undertaker when he was stationed at the makeshift morgue in Cork following the Air India Flight 182 disaster. In the aftermath, he personally arranged the burial of two unclaimed victims and has continued to tend their graves at St. Michael's Cemetery in Blackrock ever since. Picture Chani Anderson He worked as an undertaker's assistant at the time of the disaster, documenting the names of the dead and helping out at a makeshift mortuary. Mr Archer said that Ann Marie Alexander's husband and a son were also on the flight, but their bodies were never recovered. 'The mother and daughter's bodies were never claimed. We believe that's probably because they didn't have any relatives left,' he said. So, he took it upon himself to tend to their graves ever since and is organising the commemoration at St Michael's Cemetery. 'We will be having local school children playing music on the day and there will be representatives from the fire service and gardaí in attendance. We will also have some of the guards and firemen who were involved in the aftermath of the recovery operations. We'll also have a colour party of UN veterans who'll parade with the Irish Tricolour and Indian and Canadian national flags,' Finbarr said. The ceremony is open to the public and will get under way at about midday. Meanwhile, the navy has revealed as a mark of respect to those lost it has commissioned a commemorative plaque which will be unveiled at Haulbowline naval base during a special ceremony later this summer. Among those invited to the unveiling will be the crewmembers who served proudly on board LE Aisling at the time of the tragedy and as a recognition the navy intends to present them with a commemorative military coin. Read More It is a miracle, says lone survivor of Air India plane crash
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Update on Air India jet black boxes as recorders could be sent to US for analysis after being hauled from 1,000C inferno
THE black box recovered from the doomed Air India flight could be sent to the US for analysis after being rescued from a blazing 1,000 degree inferno. The 7 A fire officer stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft Credit: Reuters 7 The Air India plane crashed into a medical college campus creating a huge fireball Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 The plane's tail can be seen sticking out of a building following the crash Credit: AP The Indian government has the final say on who probes the device, but reports say the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C. is being considered for the analysis. A team of Indian investigators is expected to accompany the device to ensure all protocols are followed during the Investigators warned on Tuesday that the recovered When jet fuel is combusted inside a plane's engine, the resulting heat can reach immense temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees. READ MORE WORLD NEWS The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick crashed less than a minute after take-off into a The major black box update comes as an Air India boss revealed a bombshell update on the deadly crash - as he detailed how the Boeing aircraft had "recently been serviced". N Chandrasekaran said that the doomed jet had a " He also hit back at 'speculation' on what caused the London-bound flight to crash, and added that a probe into the exact cause of the crash could take a month. Most read in The Sun Planes usually carry One records flight data, such as altitude and speed, whilst the other monitors the cockpit sound. Moment miracle Brit survivor of Air India disaster heads BACK to burning wreck to save brother saying 'I have to save him' The Despite the name, these devices are painted bright orange for visibility amid debris. Investigators believe the CVR on this 2014-delivered aircraft likely stored only two hours of cockpit audio. The jet predates a 2021 rule which enforced 25-hour recordings on all planes. But the FDR is capable of logging thousands of flight parameters for over 25 hours, including altitude, airspeed, and control inputs. The aircraft had climbed less than 600 feet before its ascent stalled, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. A distress signal was sent but was met with complete radio silence. Moments later, the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex near the airport's northeastern boundary. 7 Jet fuel burns at over 1,000 degrees Credit: EPA 7 At least 270 people died in the crash Credit: EPA The damaged black box is now seen as a crucial piece of evidence in understanding what led to India's worst air disaster in nearly three decades. Investigators hope the data from the box will shed light on the aircraft's final moments. It comes after crash investigators speculated that an just before the plane went down - raising questions about whether the engines were working properly . Analysts agreed that a small turbine generator deployed as the Boeing 787 flew towards the doctors' hostel. Commentators allege this was a system called Ram Air Turbine (RAT) poking out from the fuselage of the plane, which Commercial airline pilot Steve Schreiber, known as Captain Steve, explained: "Many aeroplanes have it. It is just behind the wing on the right side of the aeroplane, there is a little door that holds it in. Leading theories on Air India Flight AI171 THESE are some of the leading theories explaining the tragic Air India disaster which killed at least 270 people. Emergency power system : A small turbine generator was seen deploying as the Boeing 787 went down, experts said. Footage showed a "protrusion on the belly of the aircraft" with a "little grey dot" beneath it. Commentators say this was a system called Ram Air Turbine (RAT) poking out from the fuselage of the plane. Bird Strikes : A bird strike could have taken out both of the jet's giant General Electric engines. While a bird taking down something the size of a commercial airliner might sound fanciful, there are numerous examples. Wing flap position : Aviation experts have suggested the position of the aircraft's wing flaps could have played a role in the disaster. Video evidence suggests the flaps were either fully retracted or on a very minimal setting, which would have provided very little lift. The flaps provide crucial extra lift at low speeds during take-offs and landings. Pilot error : The state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 is highly automated, with human pilots making only key decisions - but human error cannot be ruled out. Co-pilot Clive Kundar had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience and made the mayday call but Captain Sumeet Sabharwa at the helm had 11,500 hours - making him one of Air India's most experienced pilots. Heat : Planes get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, and therefore they need to go faster to get as much lift as on a cooler day. This is particularly important when an airliner is heavy with fuel, passengers and baggage, as the Air India flight was. Technical error : Catastrophic technical or engineering issues have not been ruled out. The jet's complex design mean it could take months for a design or engineering fault to be pinpointed. "It looks like a little Evinrude motor, it's a little two bladed prop. "The purpose is to provide electrical and hydraulic pressure for the aircraft on an extreme emergency." Steve explained there are three things which could cause the RAT to deploy on a 787: "A massive electrical failure, a massive hydraulic failure, or a dual engine failure. "But I think the fact the aeroplane is mushing out the sky gives the idea it was a dual engine failure," he said. The tragic smash is the first ever fatal accident involving a Boeing Dreamliner. 52 Brits died on board the flight, but London local 7 Vishwash Ramesh's brother's funeral Credit: Dan Charity 7 Lone survivor of the Air India plane crash Vishwash Ramesh pictured at his family home in Diu, India Credit: Dan Charity
