Video Captures Last 3 Seconds Before Ahmedabad Crash: Did Air India Flight Suffer Total Power Failure?
Ahmedabad: Nine national and international aviation bodies are now investigating the tragic June 12 crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad. A crucial clue may lie in a 19-second rooftop video shot by a teenager, which purportedly captured a rare and telling detail just seconds before impact – the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system deployed mid-air.
Group Captain Mohit Chaturvedi (retd), a former IAF pilot who now flies VVIP aircraft, analysed the video and flagged the RAT deployment as a potential sign that all main engines and power sources failed during takeoff. 'This hints at total electrical system failure,' he said.
Chaturvedi explained that commercial aircraft like the Boeing 787 have multiple power safeguards. Normally, power is generated through two Integrated Drive Generators (IDG) on the engines and a third unit in the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) located in the tail. If all three fail, each engine still carries a backup generator. If those fail too, the load shifts to two small Permanent Magnetic Generators (PMGs) used to power essentials like landing lights.
But if even PMGs go offline, only one last failsafe remains – the RAT system. Mounted behind the landing gear, it works like a wind turbine, deploying automatically in emergencies to generate enough power to run flight-critical systems.
'The RAT being visible in the crash video means that all primary and backup systems failed. This was not a normal technical snag,' Chaturvedi said.
He believes the pilot issued a Mayday call and likely said 'loss of thrust', but did not get time to relay further details. 'Without AC power, even a second's delay can knock out flight displays. If the pilot cannot see ahead, control is impossible,' he said.
Chaturvedi also pointed out a key design change in the Boeing 787 – unlike older models that used hydraulic systems powered by engine bleed-air, the 787 uses electric pumps to generate hydraulic pressure. This saves weight but makes the aircraft more dependent on uninterrupted electrical supply. If AC power is lost entirely, landing gear, flight controls and nose-wheel steering could stop responding.
'If the APU and both IDGs failed, the gear would not retract. And that would disrupt the aircraft's aerodynamic balance during climb,' he explained.
He noted that the plane appeared to veer left shortly before crashing. 'This could be linked to asymmetric thrust or disrupted control surfaces,' he added.
Regarding takeoff protocol, he stressed that both pilots perform precise calculations before liftoff, accounting for runway length, aircraft weight, temperature and humidity. These parameters determine the takeoff speed and angle.
Could the crash be due to pilot error during input? 'Highly unlikely,' Chaturvedi said and added, 'Even if flaps were wrongly configured, the system triggers a warning. The computer will not accept incorrect settings.'
He dismissed theories about fuel sabotage: 'That is baseless. The fuel tank is centrally located, but controls are in the cockpit. No one outside can cut off fuel. Also, fuel is loaded via external bowsers, and DGCA rules mandate that all such units be seized after a crash.'
He added, 'A Boeing 787 can fly 45 minutes on a single engine. Each one delivers 53,000 pounds of thrust. One engine failure would not have brought it down, especially right after takeoff.'
Another expert, Group Captain Chandraprakash Dwivedi (retd), who has logged over 3,000 flying hours, agreed. 'Most crashes occur during landing or takeoff, but dual-engine failure is extremely rare. Only seven such cases have occurred globally. In 2009, both engines failed on a US flight and the pilot landed safely in the Hudson River,' he said.
He believes Ahmedabad's crash points to a serious technical breakdown. 'Both engines failing at the same time is nearly impossible in Indian aviation history. The investigation will confirm what exactly went wrong,' he added.
Both experts suggest that a complete electrical collapse, not a simple pilot error or fuel glitch, may have led to a fatal failure of systems. The RAT deployment, captured just three seconds before impact, could be the most important clue investigators have.
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