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First Post
12 hours ago
- General
- First Post
Air India crash: Cockpit error or fuel system contamination, what brought AI71 down? Probe looks at 2020 UK mishap
The 2020 incident, which involved an Airbus A321, saw the plane's both engines malfunction shortly after take-off. Fortunately, the plane had gained an altitude of almost 3580 feet and was able to make the roundabout read more This handout taken and posted on the X (formerly Twitter) account of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) On June 12, 2025 shows the back of an Air India plane after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad. Image- AFP The officials investigating the Air India flight AI-171 crash are closely drawing parallels with a February 2020 incident at the UK's Gatwick airport, and are hunting for clues. The incident, which involved an Airbus A321, saw the plane's both engines malfunction shortly after take-off. The pilots made a Mayday call and returned to the airport after 11 minutes after a turnaround. Fortunately, the Airbus plane had gained an altitude of almost 3580 feet and was able to make the roundabout and touch down after declaring Mayday thrice. However, the people onboard the doomed Air India plane were not that lucky as it came crashing down after gaining the altitude of just 625 feet. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Looking for clues The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AIIB) later investigated the Airbus incident and found that the reason for the engine failure was fuel system contamination. This despite engineers clearing the aircraft for operations just ahead of the take-off. Notably, the AIIB investigators have joined the Ahmedabad plane crash probe. Officials are taking a look at AI-171's technical logs in the 24 hours preceding the crash. Plane lost power after take-off The officials meanwhile also appear to conclude that the plane lost power immediately after take-off, citing 'visual observation and wreckage'. 'The material evidence, which includes the wreckage and the videos of the takeoff as well as the crash, indicate a definite power failure on the flight. The cause will be known only when the black box data is recovered but we can estimate that since the flight was in a takeoff and its nose pitched up for the liftoff, the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) could not help the flight make a safe turnaround as it had not even achieved the minimum altitude of 3600 feet for a safe path,' Indian Express quoted an officer as saying. The officer also dismissed speculations around cockpit error, saying the pilots 'may have tried their best to gain manual control'. 'It does not appear to be a cockpit error… The observations are that the power failure occurred as soon as the flight was airborne and was unable to climb to the safe path altitude… the (Boeing) 787 Dreamliner has a provision for a manual reversion control system to allow pilots to regain control of critical systems in the event of a hydraulic failure. This system is a backup, using RAT to generate power, but there was no altitude cushion to ensure a safe glide downward or for the pilot to attempt anything… It just dropped on to the medical hostel building, with the tail being impacted and separated due to its liftoff position. Had it achieved an elevation of about 3600-4900 feet, it could have been a different story as planes can safely make Mayday landings with the RAT,' the officer said. On fuel contamination The officer said investigators were looking at technical log of the aircraft to examine whether any technical abnormalities were flagged by any of the previous captains or maintenance staff. 'The aircraft was incoming from Paris to Delhi and from Delhi to Ahmedabad… In fact, it made a round trip to Paris from Delhi on June 11-12. Just a day earlier, it had returned to Delhi after a round trip to Tokyo. We will check the technical logs to see if any of the engineering teams or pilots of the previous flight left comments on the performance of both engines or experienced any ECAM (Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor) message during the flight, accompanied by any thrust issues during flight,' the officer said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'At this point, we have no reason to speculate a sabotage but if the cause of the engine failure is fuel contamination, which is most likely due to water, the maintenance records of the flight, which are also under scrutiny, will reveal if it was due to oversight or negligence or corrosion in the fuel system, leading to clogging which is rare if the aircraft is regularly serviced. Fuel contaminated with water is the most common cause of power loss in flights and, many times, cannot be detected until the aircraft is actually airborne,' the officer said.
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
Air India plane crash: AI-171 probe looks at Gatwick takeoff incident 5 yrs ago for possible clues
Investigators probing the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick are taking a close look at a February 2020 incident in Gatwick, involving an Airbus A321, in which both engines malfunctioned immediately after takeoff. It led to a Mayday call before the aircraft returned to Gatwick 11 minutes later after a turnaround. In its 2020 investigation, the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AIIB), which is also in Ahmedabad to probe the June 12 crash, found that the reason for the engine failure was fuel system contamination even though engineers had found no fault prior to clearing it for flying that night. Officers aware of the ongoing investigation into the Ahmedabad crash said a thorough scrutiny of AI-171's technical logs in the 24 hours preceding the crash were being looked into as it was 'clear from visual observation and wreckage' that the flight suffered a power failure. Speaking to The Indian Express Thursday, an officer said the probe agencies, in primary observations from the available visual evidence, statements of the controllers of Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control (ATC), maintenance engineers who cleared the flight on the ground, and initial inspection of the wreckage, estimated that the aircraft experienced power failure of the main electric system within seconds of takeoff. 'The material evidence, which includes the wreckage and the videos of the takeoff as well as the crash, indicate a definite power failure on the flight. The cause will be known only when the black box data is recovered but we can estimate that since the flight was in a takeoff and its nose pitched up for the liftoff, the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) could not help the flight make a safe turnaround as it had not even achieved the minimum altitude of 3600 feet for a safe path,' the officer said. The black boxes and the DVR have been recovered but the officer said that the devices were damaged and file extraction would 'be a complicated process'. According to the officer, 'deliberations were on' about sending the black boxes to the US where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) could help recover the recordings with advanced expertise. The wreckage of the Dreamliner, the officer said, had 'not hinted' at any cockpit error, and the pilots 'may have tried their best to gain manual control' for attempting a turnaround. 'It does not appear to be a cockpit error… The observations are that the power failure occurred as soon as the flight was airborne and was unable to climb to the safe path altitude… the (Boeing) 787 Dreamliner has a provision for a manual reversion control system to allow pilots to regain control of critical systems in the event of a hydraulic failure. This system is a backup, using RAT to generate power, but there was no altitude cushion to ensure a safe glide downward or for the pilot to attempt anything… It just dropped on to the medical hostel building, with the tail being impacted and separated due to its liftoff position. Had it achieved an elevation of about 3600-4900 feet, it could have been a different story as planes can safely make Mayday landings with the RAT,' the officer said. AI-171 had gained an altitude of only 625 feet when it came crashing down. The officer said that while probing the cause of engine failure, the most crucial aspect would be an analysis of the technical log of the aircraft for the preceding 24 to 48 hours to ascertain if any technical abnormalities had been experienced or noted down by the previous captains or maintenance staff. 'The aircraft was incoming from Paris to Delhi and from Delhi to Ahmedabad… In fact, it made a round trip to Paris from Delhi on June 11-12. Just a day earlier, it had returned to Delhi after a round trip to Tokyo. We will check the technical logs to see if any of the engineering teams or pilots of the previous flight left comments on the performance of both engines or experienced any ECAM (Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor) message during the flight, accompanied by any thrust issues during flight,' the officer said. 'At this point, we have no reason to speculate a sabotage but if the cause of the engine failure is fuel contamination, which is most likely due to water, the maintenance records of the flight, which are also under scrutiny, will reveal if it was due to oversight or negligence or corrosion in the fuel system, leading to clogging which is rare if the aircraft is regularly serviced. Fuel contaminated with water is the most common cause of power loss in flights and, many times, cannot be detected until the aircraft is actually airborne,' the officer said. Since the Ahmedabad crash is the first involving a Boeing 787, investigators are 'leaving nothing to chance'. 'The Dreamliner has an advanced electrical system… it can cover a sufficient distance safely on one engine as well… In case of dual hydraulic failure, the flight can be on manual reversion and be controlled for safe landing at the nearest available facility. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder will reveal what went wrong in about one minute,' the officer said. A chemical analysis of 'important and relevant' parts from the wreckage will reveal any unusually high level of contaminants. 'Since the explosion and the subsequent fire have damaged much of the aircraft, especially the fuel tanks, forensic engineers of the investigating team have gathered as much relevant debris as possible to find traces of elements that could indicate if there had been fuel contamination,' the officer said. The UK AAIB team is comparing notes with the February 2020 Gatwick incident findings. 'The entire duration of the flight was 11 minutes, as per the investigation of the UK AAIB… The incident was almost similar, except that the flight had gained an altitude of almost 3580 feet and was able to make the roundabout and touch down after declaring Mayday thrice… The findings of the investigation had concluded that the reason for the engine failure was fuel system contamination even though the engineers had found no fault prior to clearing it for flying that night,' the officer said. 'However, that investigation had revealed that the three flights, which the aircraft completed prior to the Gatwick takeoff, had experienced unusual signs of one of the engines as it had taken multiple attempts to start… and also relayed stalling messages during the flight… It was later found that the engineers who cleared the flight from Gatwick had not conducted extensive examination of the engine, which resulted in 'no fault' being found,' the officer said.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Medical college hostels damaged in Air India plane crash vacated for probe
Hostels of the BJ Medical College that were damaged in the Air India plane crash here are being vacated as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) wants to conduct a probe, the institution's dean, Minakshi Parikh, said on Saturday. Talking to reporters, Parikh said four buildings — Atulyam 1, 2, 3 and 4 — which were damaged in the crash are being vacated, and occupants will be given alternative accommodations. Also Read | 'He video-called me, I couldn't call back': Daughter of man who died in Ahmedabad plane crash The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI 171) flight with 242 passengers and crew members on board crashed into a medical hostel and its canteen complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. A total of 270 people were killed in the crash, which is being investigated by multiple agencies. Also Read | Air India plane crash: In first presser, Centre reveals what exactly happened on June 12 Parikh said, "The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB), under the Civil Aviation Ministry, wants to probe (the air crash). For this, Atulyam 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been vacated or are being vacated. We have made an alternative arrangement for post-grad students residing there."
Zawya
13-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Budget: Rwanda allocates $499mln to Bugesera airport
Rwanda's Cabinet has passed additional funds for the development of Bugesera International Airport on the outskirts of Kigali, signalling intent to pursue project partly funded by Qatar. The ministers approved an investment kitty of Rwf699 billion ($499 million) in the 2025/26 budget to go to the project, which is expected to gobble up some $2 billion by completion, whose deadline was extended to 2028 from 2026, due to delays in delivery of construction materials. Rwanda's Minister for Finance and Economic Planning Yusuf Murangwa, while reading the budget to parliament on Thursday, noted that the government would have to expand the budget to help finance big-ticket infrastructural projects. These include the ongoing Bugesera International airport and the expansion of routes for national carrier RwandAir. The 2025/26 budget, as a result, has increased by Rwf1.216 trillion ($853.6 million) to a Rwf7.032 trillion ($4.8 billion), from Rwf5.816 trillion ($4 billion). This meant that Rwanda's budget has risen by 21 percent to accommodate these projects. The minister had earlier highlighted a significant budget increase for the airport project, and moved on to secure a $200 million concessional loan from China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to accelerate the project's completion. The first phase of the airport, located 25km outside Kigali, is designed for seven million passengers annually and is expected to be completed by 2028. The second phase is expected to be completed by 2032 and double its capacity to 14 million passengers a year. In 2019, Qatar Airways agreed to take a 60 percent stake in the airport. The initial cost was estimated at $1.3 billion, but this figure has since ballooned to $2 billion to be jointly raised by the two shareholders. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently warned that the cost of Bugesera will significantly intensify Rwanda's debt service pressures and raise the country's public debt to 86.3 percent of GDP by 2026.'Despite critical reform to enhance domestic revenue mobilisation, the cost of the planned Bugesera airport construction will significantly intensify debt service pressures and raise public debt to 86.3 percent of GDP in 2026. Risks of overruns on large infrastructure projects need to be vigilantly monitored,' IMF said in a statement. The decision to allocate about $500 million from the national budget couldn't have been informed by the IMF warning and advisory. Rwanda's direct financial contribution to the project remains unclear, but, going by the $2 billion investment kitty needed, with 40 percent stake, Kigali would have to raise close to $1 billion, looking at other airport support infrastructure it will have to put in place. The airport will boast a 130,000-square-metre main terminal building capable of accommodating such a number of passengers. The new airport will also see a dedicated cargo terminal, capable of accommodating 150,000 tonnes of cargo a year. The construction works are currently in high gear, with authorities in charge saying horizontal works are near complete, and have moved to the vertical. The goal is to make Kigali an alternative regional hub, to Addis Ababa, given the geographical position of Rwanda right in the heart of Africa, which gives easy access to all points of the continent. Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer recently said the project is an important part of their model to cover Africa with a big network across countries, which will fit into another similar partnership in Southern Africa. Tied to Qatar's 60 percent stake in Bugesera is a deal to own 49 percent stake in Rwanda's national carrier. Read: Rwanda now gets Qatar on board for Bugesera AirportAlthough this deal is yet to be concluded five years after it was announced, reports indicate that it is still in the works. With the initial stages of constructing a permanent F1 Grand Prix circuit around the airport also underway -after Rwanda made a formal bid to host the coveted motor sport event -- completing the airport is now more urgent than never. Reports indicate that the F1 track is designed by former F1 driver Alexander Wurz, aiming to leverage Rwanda's unique hilly terrain, offering a fast and flowing layout through forests and around a picturesque lake. The airport and F1 track projects will complement each other, and align with Rwanda's broader vision to promote tourism and aviation as key cornerstones to building a service economy. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
CM opens 2 major solar projects, 2.5k Akola ryots to get fixed daytime power
Akola: Chief minister and energy minister on Wednesday inaugurated two major solar power projects in Akola district, promising sustainable daytime electricity supply to over 2,595 farmers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 2 MW plant at Redwa and the 10 MW plant at Bhendimahal in Barshitakli tehsil were formally commissioned under the Chief Minister Solar Agriculture Feeder Scheme 2.0. The CM's visit marks a major leap forward in rural electrification and green energy goals for . He also laid the foundation stone for two upcoming solar projects — 10 MW each at Manatri (Telhara tehsil) and Akolkhed (Akot tehsil). Fadnavis also performed the bhoomipuja (groundbreaking ceremony) for two new 33 KV substations — at Hivra Korde and Parad in Murtijapur tehsil, to be built under the AIIB grid strengthening scheme. Addressing the gathering, Fadnavis said the state govt's aim is to generate 16,000 MW of decentralized solar power through this ambitious scheme, ensuring daytime electricity for agriculture. The Redwa and Bhendimahal plants will ensure reliable and full-capacity daytime power supply to farmers of Dagad Parwa, Kanheri, Dhabha, Barshitakli, Pathur Nandapur, Mahangao, Bahirkhed and Ghota villages. Also, the upcoming Manatri and Akolkhed solar parks will supply power to another 1,500 farmers. So far, 10 solar projects have been commissioned in Akola district, producing a combined 50 MW green energy and providing daytime electricity to over 14,000 farmers. The 33 KV substations at Hivra Korde and Parad, each with 5 MVA capacity, will be constructed at a cost of Rs6.48 crore by Mahavitaran. These will serve over 20 villages including Mana, Shelubazar, Sonori, Bapori, Kotha, Khola, Yendli, Pingla, Navrangpur, Mandura, and others addressing long-standing power fluctuation issues in the region. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The event was held at the Planning Bhavan, district collectorate premises. PWD minister Shivendra Singh Raje Bhosale, labour minister and guardian minister Aakash Fundkar, MP Anup Dhotre, MLAs Ravindra Chavan, Harish Pimpale, Prakash Bharsakale, Vasant Khandelwal, Kiran Sarnayak, Shyam Khode, divisional commissioner Shweta Singhal, IGP Ramrao Pokale, collector Ajit Kumbhar, SP Archit Chandak and senior MSEDCL engineers and officers were present.
