Air India Crash: Was Deadly 'Air Lock' To Blame?
Last Updated:
Aviation expert Captain Steve Sheibner claimed that the RAT deployed in the Ahmedabad crash indicates that both engines may have lost fuel supply, possibly due to an air lock
The crash of Air India 's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad has drawn intense scrutiny from aviation experts around the world. Preliminary footage and flight data have ruled out bird strikes and landing gear failure as likely causes. Investigators are now exploring a new theory—that an 'air lock' may have triggered the disaster.
An air lock occurs when air bubbles become trapped in the engine or fuel pipeline, disrupting the flow of fuel to the engine and hydraulic system. This blockage prevents the engine from receiving power, resulting in a loss of thrust and causing the aircraft to descend instead of ascend. Although a Boeing 787 has two engines and can operate on one, a complete fuel supply disruption to both engines inevitably leads to disaster.
What Happened In The Ahmedabad Crash?
On June 12, Air India 's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flight AI-171, departed from Ahmedabad for London. Just 36 seconds after takeoff, the aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel, claiming the lives of 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew. The subsequent investigation revealed that the plane had issued a 'Mayday' emergency call. Some experts have claimed that an air lock might have caused the accident.
How Does An Air Lock Form?
Air locks can form if air becomes trapped in the fuel tank or pipelines during maintenance, leading to fuel supply disruptions. This can significantly reduce or halt engine power.
According to aviation expert Captain Steve Sheibner, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was activated during the Ahmedabad crash—a system that deploys when there's a failure in the aircraft's engine or electrical systems. This suggests that fuel supply to both engines may have been disrupted, possibly due to an air lock.
Meanwhile, the black box from the crashed Air India flight has sustained extensive damage and may need to be sent overseas—likely to the United States—for advanced analysis and data recovery, senior government officials have indicated.
Both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) were recovered from the wreckage in Ahmedabad. According to an NDTV report citing top aviation sources, efforts are underway to extract data domestically, but the severity of the heat and impact damage may require the expertise of international forensic labs to retrieve crucial flight information.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) captures everything audible within the cockpit, including pilot conversations, exchanges with air traffic control, system alerts, and background noises like engine hum and the clicking of switches. Modern CVRs can store up to two hours of audio, continuously recording over older data in a loop.
The Flight Data Recorder (FDR), on the other hand, logs the aircraft's technical performance throughout the flight. It tracks key flight parameters such as altitude, airspeed, direction, vertical acceleration, and the positions of control surfaces like the rudder and ailerons. It also records engine metrics, autopilot usage, and any system malfunctions or warnings that occur mid-flight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Iran Conducts NUCLEAR TEST, Explosions Trigger 5.1 Quake Amid Israel War? Panic Amid Speculations
Air India Crash: Miracle Survivor Vishwas Kumar Ramesh Discharged, to Perform Brother's Last Rites Air India crash survivor Viswas Kumar Ramesh has been discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and is heading home to perform the last rites of his younger brother, who perished in the April 12 crash. Ramesh, the only survivor among 242 passengers on the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was flung out of the aircraft after it broke apart mid-takeoff. His seat, 11A, detached and landed near ground level, sparing him the deadly fireball. Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, called his survival a miracle and expressed disbelief at how he made it out alive. A viral video earlier showed him emerging from the BJ Medical campus minutes after the crash. Ramesh is now returning home not to celebrate life, but to bid farewell to his brother. PM Modi and HM Amit Shah had visited him during his recovery. As he prepares for the cremation, his story remains a powerful symbol of resilience in the face of overwhelming tragedy.#AirIndiaCrash #ViswashkumarRamesh #Boeing787Crash #MiracleSurvivor #BJMedicalTragedy #IndiaUK #ModiAhmedabadVisit #AviationDisaster #CrashSurvivorStory #PlaneCrashIndia #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews 34.3K views | 2 days ago
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Khamenei In Control': Israel's Iran Mission Collapsing? Big Admission By Netanyahu Govt
Air India Crash: Miracle Survivor Vishwas Kumar Ramesh Discharged, to Perform Brother's Last Rites Air India crash survivor Viswas Kumar Ramesh has been discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and is heading home to perform the last rites of his younger brother, who perished in the April 12 crash. Ramesh, the only survivor among 242 passengers on the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was flung out of the aircraft after it broke apart mid-takeoff. His seat, 11A, detached and landed near ground level, sparing him the deadly fireball. Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, called his survival a miracle and expressed disbelief at how he made it out alive. A viral video earlier showed him emerging from the BJ Medical campus minutes after the crash. Ramesh is now returning home not to celebrate life, but to bid farewell to his brother. PM Modi and HM Amit Shah had visited him during his recovery. As he prepares for the cremation, his story remains a powerful symbol of resilience in the face of overwhelming tragedy.#AirIndiaCrash #ViswashkumarRamesh #Boeing787Crash #MiracleSurvivor #BJMedicalTragedy #IndiaUK #ModiAhmedabadVisit #AviationDisaster #CrashSurvivorStory #PlaneCrashIndia #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews 34.3K views | 2 days ago
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Shaking, hissing, growling door mid-air': Air India Boeing 787 flight to Hong Kong spooks flyers; crew plugs gap with napkins to 'fix' issue
Passengers on an Air India flight from Delhi to Hong Kong experienced a disturbing incident when a door began shaking and emitting strange noises mid-flight. Despite the unsettling sounds, the flight continued safely after crew members used napkins to seal the gap. MUMBAI: Passengers on board an Air India flight from Delhi to Hong Kong had a harrowing time after a door of the Boeing 787 aircraft started shaking and making hissing, growling noises about an hour into the flight operated on June 1. AI's flight attendants plugged paper napkins into the thin gap at the top of the door and pushed it to seal and quieten it, while the flight continued to its destination and landed safely. This was not the first case of a B787 having a door grumbling mid-flight. At least three other instances were recorded by airlines, the first in 2019 by Japan Airlines and then two cases in 2022 involving German carrier TUI Airlines and American Airlines. In all three cases, pilots diverted the flight back to the airport of origin because of the noisy doors. The Boeing 787 aircraft and safety concerns around it have been in focus since the June 12 Ahmedabad crash which killed 275 people. The incident on the flight to Hong Kong took place before that. Passengers might find such incidents unnerving, but a hissing door poses no major risk to flight safety, and aircraft doors don't open mid-flight, pilots pointed out. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AdTab, un delicioso comprimido antiparasitario Adtab Encuéntralo Undo The incident occurred on flight AI-314 which left Delhi at 11.45 pm, over an hour after its scheduled departure time. 'About an hour after take-off, the door started shaking and making noises. It seemed the door seal came off due to air pressure,' said a recent post on social media, quoting a passenger. All safety parameters were found to be in compliance: Air India Air India in a statement said an aircraft undergoes multiple engineering checks before it is cleared for flight operations, with top priority given to safety issues, and the June 1 Delhi-Hong Kong flight too went through the process. 'A hissing sound started emanating from the decorative door panel mid-flight, and after assessing that there was no risk to safety, crew took action to alleviate the noise. After landing in Hong Kong airport, the aircraft underwent checks by the engineering team. 'All safety parameters were found to be in compliance and the aircraft was cleared for service. There was no such noise during the return flight AI315 from Hong Kong to Delhi. We would like to reiterate that the safety of our customers and crew remains top priority,' the Air India statement added. So what could have caused the problem? 'As the aircraft climbs, the atmospheric pressure difference within and outside the aircraft increases. The pressure inside the B787 passenger cabin is what you would experience at around 6,000 ft altitude. But the aircraft could be cruising at 40,000 ft. If the door seal is compromised, pressurised air (meant to circulate in the passenger cabin) could leak through it, making these noises,' said a source, requesting anonymity. Unlike the Boeing 777 or 737 aircraft, Boeing 787 has an advanced plug-type door which is electronically monitored. The door swings outward and then moves forward to open. To close, it is plugged into the fuselage for pressurisation. The B777 door on the other hand is operated manually, while the narrow body B737 has a manual, mechanical plug-type door. TOI looked into door plug problems reported by airlines worldwide. The most recent documented case occurred in Oct 2022, when an American Airlines Boeing 787-800 flight to Paris returned to Philadelphia after fumes were detected around two doors. Flight attendants checked lavatories and other places but couldn't find the source of the fumes and when they began spreading in the passenger cabin, the crew declared an emergency and diverted to land safely. In Feb 2022, a TUI airlines B787-800 flying from Amsterdam to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic returned to Amsterdam after a howling noise came from door 2L. A small hole in the door seal caused the sounds and the pilots decided to divert. In Aug 2019, a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo to Bangkok landed back in Tokyo two hours after departure. Passengers complained of growling sounds and vibrations coming from the main door towards the front of the Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner, according to reports. On ground inspection a small gap was found in the door seal through which pressurised air was escaping, creating strange noises and vibrations. There were no cabin pressurisation problems, and no oxygen masks were deployed. The aircraft was returned to service about 30 hours after the incident. In none of these three cases did the aircraft suffer from a cabin depressurisation problem. A senior commander said, 'This kind of leak can happen if a door seal is slightly out of place or it has gone old. It does not affect cabin pressurisation at all. Hypothetically if we assume all 8 doors develop this problem, even then pilots get enough advance warning to initiate a descent down to 10,000 ft as is the standard practice in a cabin decompression emergency. ' Capt Amit Singh, an air safety expert, said, 'The question is, was it a one-off thing or is it a regular occurrence? It could be a combination of maintenance issues and how the door was closed.'
