What led to Air India plane crash? Experts weigh 4 possible reasons behind tragedy
Investigators are racing against time to find the cause of the deadly Air India plane crash — one of the India's worst plane crashes recorded in a decade. India has already launched an investigation into the fatal crash of the London-bound Air India plane that plunged and hit a residential area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, minutes after takeoff on Thursday.
All but one of the 242 passengers and crew onboard the Air India plane were killed in the crash.
With the investigation underway, several experts have weighed in on the possible reasons that could have led to the crash of the Air India plane. Here's what they said after analysing early evidence, videos and photos of the crash:
US experts said on Thursday that the plane involved in the crash at Ahmedabad did not seem 'properly configured' and that the crash appeared 'surprising' at first glance.
Analysing the videos and photos of the crash, Aviation safety consultant John M Cox said the grainy images of the flight suggested that one area of inquiry was likely to be whether the slats and flaps were in the correct position as the plane attempted to climb.
'It's hard to tell but from looking at the aircraft from behind… it doesn't look like the trailing edge flaps are in the position I would have expected them to be,' he was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
The CEO of Washington DC-based Safety Operating Systems, however, cautioned that the image quality is "not good enough to make that conclusion. It's just an area where I know that they're going to look.'
As per the initial footage, the aircraft initially climbed on a normal trajectory before it suddenly began descending.
Experts noted the plane appeared to maintain a nose-up attitude, a posture usually not associated with a normal descent. This, according to them, suggests a significant and sudden loss of engine thrust, the Hindustan Times reported.
'The image shows the airplane with the nose rising and it continuing to sink,' Cox said. 'That says that the airplane is not making enough lift," he said.
He said, "The slats and flaps should be positioned so that the wing makes more lift at lower speeds."
Former pilot Saurabh Bhatnagar told Indian news TV channel New Delhi Television LTD the incident appears to involve 'multiple bird hits'. Bird strikes refers to a collision between a bird and an aircraft which is in flight, taking-off or landing.
Bhatnagar was quoted as saying: 'It looks, prima facie, like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power." He noted that the take-off was "perfect" but "the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift."
However, Sam Thomas, president of the Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) told HT that it was 'highly unlikely' a flock of birds disabled both engines.
A report cited experts analysing why the aircraft's landing gear was not retracted. Capt Manoj Hathi, a former Air India official, told the Times of India, "It's possible that a dual engine flame-out was the reason the landing gear could not be retracted. Dual engine failure could occur due to bird ingestion or fuel contamination. Looking at the trajectory and body angle of the aircraft, it appears as if the aircraft has stalled because of loss of speed."
Former pilot Ehsan Khalid explained that the landing gear is raised as soon as the flight takes off. "Since the landing gear was down, it is possible that a loss of engine was detected beforehand... The biggest question is why the landing gear was not up....," he said.
According to the TOI, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in its statement the pilots gave a MAYDAY call seconds after take-off. This information reportedly supporting the theory that a dual engine failure occurred probably after the aircraft crossed the speed beyond which a take-off cannot be safely aborted.
Other pilots said the possibility of a dual engine failure is a rare event with about seven documented accidents in the past seven decades.
Former pilot Ehsan Khalid told the Times of India the aircraft appeared to have faced a loss of power, which could be attributed to engine malfunction. However, he stressed that it is highly unlikely for both engines to fail simultaneously, especially due to a bird strike within such a short timeframe.
"The visuals show that the aircraft faced a loss of power... The loss of power can be due to engine malfunction, but it is very unlikely that both engines would lose power simultaneously... It is a very big engine, and it is rare that both engines lose power due to a bird hit in a one-minute duration," he was quoted as saying.
Although just preliminary clues and theories are emerging, a definitive cause remains elusive until the government probe concludes. Professor John McDermid, of the University of York, said it was too early to know 'in any detail'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Govt forms empowered panel to set standards, certification for ropeways
NEW DELHI: THE Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has constituted an empowered committee to develop standards and certification systems for ropeways and allied components. The 'national framework for technical codes, certifications, commissioning and safety audits' of ropeways to be devised by the committee aims to provide a structured approach to managing risks, verifying adherence to standards and reglations, and preventing untoward incidents or failures. With the ropeway sector growing rapidly, officials said it is essential to create an institutional framework to coordinate technical standards and collaboration between state and Union territory governments; focusing primarily on ensuring public safety. The panel – Empowered Committee for Ropeways Technical Evaluation, Certification and Safety (EC-Rope-TECS) – will be headed by Director General (Road Development and Special Secretary) and comprise Chief Engineer, MoRTH, head of the department of the bureau of Indian standards dealing with ropeway systems and allied infrastructure, and technical representatives from states or UTs with significant experience in implementation of ropeway systems, as members.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Air India crash aftermath: Broken hearts & empty homes; a husband who hasn't cried, an elderly who won't go home
AHMEDABAD: Eleven days after the London-bound AI 171 crashed in Ahmedabad, victims' families continue to struggle with overwhelming grief, with many displaying unexpected reactions to trauma that has left counsellors concerned. One of the most heartbreaking cases is a 27-year-old man who lost his wife and has been unable to cry even once. The couple had married in 2024, and he had flown ahead to set up their new home in London. "I should have been with her," the guilt-ridden man has been telling himself repeatedly, too traumatised to come to terms with the loss. During their last conversation, his wife had told him repeatedly not to get delayed and keep her waiting at London's Gatwick airport. "So, when he received news of the crash, he took the first available flight and reached Ahmedabad, rebuking himself for getting late. He visited the (hospital) campus for three days to complete procedures and take home her remains for last rites. He did not cry, could not cry rather, even once," said a counsellor at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. Hospital authorities have appointed 10 counsellors - primarily experienced psychiatrists - to help families cope with the deaths of loved ones. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Urvika Parekh, one of the counsellors, recounted breaking the news to a seven-year-old girl. "She had come to give DNA samples for identification of remains. The family could not break the news to her. Some families have lost multiple family members. The void is hard to fill," Parekh said. The counsellors have encountered several instances of families unable to return to normal lives. A senior citizen who lost four family members has not gone back home. "The emptiness of the house is too overwhelming for him, so he has been staying with a close relative for the time being. The same is true for several families as they have just held the last rites of their dear ones and are now finding it difficult to envision life without them," she said. Parekh explained the seven stages of grief - shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, the upward turn, reconstruction, and acceptance. Disha Vasavada, another psychiatrist and counsellor said, "It is tougher to cope with the loss of a child than a parent. In many instances, it may take days or weeks to process the trauma." The counsellors will stay in touch with families. "Some relatives gained composure initially but could not hold themselves back when the coffins were handed over. The first few days were spent making arrangements, but when reality sets in, hand-holding is necessary," she said. The psychiatrists drew parallels with early Covid deaths, where relatives were not allowed to see the deceased one last time, causing dissonance for those seeking closure.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhiwale: Khan Market pilgrimages
Bahrisons, Good Earth, K.K. Lee, Fab Foto, Khan Chacha, Faqir Chand… these long-time icons of Delhi's legendary Khan Market have evolved into necessary pilgrimage points for Khan Market anthropologists. Not many are aware that the same commercial space also harbours actual pilgrimage points from five religions. One is within the market, while others lie within a very short walk of a minute or two, at most. The prayer hall at the serene Sujan Singh Park Gurdwara is sanctified with the divine presence of Guru Granth Sahib. (HT) Posh people are flitting about the market this evening. At quarter past seven, the front lane's west side is startled by a sudden tinkling of what appears to be temple bells. The sound is indeed floating out from this corner of the market lane. This is Shri Gopal Mandir's aarti time, heralding the sunset with prayers dedicated to Ganesh ji, Jagdish ji, Shankar ji, Durga ji, Hanuman ji and Sai Baba ji. The temple has three priests—Vipul, Anil, and Sunit, who are siblings. Each evening, a different brother performs the aarti. Meanwhile, a few shoppers passing by the temple momentarily stop on hearing the aarti. Some keep their hand on the heart, others bow their head. The ceremony lasts 15 minutes. Mother Mary is identified with white robes. This evening, she is in saffron-coloured Kanjeevaram silk. The sari-clad icon stands in the courtyard of Shrine of Vailankanni, on Prithviraj Lane. Vailankanni is the title given by church-goers to Mary in Tamil Nadu, where 'Our Lady of Good Health' is believed to have appeared twice in a town of that name. Ensconced inside a glass case, the blue-eyed Mary is holding her infant Christ. Now, a citizen in red salwar-suit walks up to the icon, her praying palm reaching out to the glass case (see left photo). This evening, Shahi Masjid's prayer chamber on Pandara Road is submerged in darkness. The glass chandelier, though, is glowing faintly. Four or five men are lying on the matted floor, probably asleep. Outside in the marble courtyard, a flight of staircase goes up to the mosque's roof, ascending alongside a jacaranda tree in blossom. The roof is crowned with three domes. The prayer hall at the serene Sujan Singh Park Gurdwara is sanctified with the divine presence of Guru Granth Sahib. The holy scripture is currently covered with a blue velvety fabric. The adjacent wall is adorned with an illuminated portrait of Amritsar's Golden Temple. This evening, Manpreet Kaur is the only devotee present for the moment. Accompanied by a harmonium (see other photo), she is softly singing the following kirtan: 'Mere hearey ratan naam har basiya Guru haath dhariyon mere matha' This hall on Humayun Road is densely decked with sacred symbols, including the Star of David. Judah Hyam is the Indian capital's only synagogue.
