Latest news with #CliveKundar
IOL News
13 hours ago
- General
- IOL News
Air India flight crashes with 242 passengers on board
Air India Flight AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad, India Image: IANS Air India flight AI171 en route from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick Airport crashed just minutes after takeoff on Thursday afternoon, prompting the closure of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport for all operations. As a precautionary measure, the Ahmedabad airport has suspended all flight operations until further notice. 'Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is currently non-operational. All arrivals and departures are temporarily suspended,' said an airport spokesperson. Air India released a dedicated hotline number for families and friends to receive updates about passengers. So far, no official confirmation has been issued regarding casualties or survivors. However, multiple visuals from the site show severe damage to buildings and the aircraft's fuselage embedded into a hostel structure. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers, took off from Ahmedabad at 1.38 p.m. and crashed five minutes later into a residential locality in Meghani Nagar, just outside the airport perimeter. The crash resulted in thick black smoke engulfing the area and widespread panic among local residents. The site of a plane crash in Ahmedabad, India Image: IANS The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a senior pilot with 8200 flying hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1100 hours. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the aircraft issued a 'Mayday' call moments after takeoff, after which radio contact was lost. Initial assessments suggest the possibility of multiple bird hits leading to engine failure, but officials stress that a detailed investigation will determine the exact cause. The DGCA, in an official statement, said: 'The aircraft crashed into a residential area five minutes after takeoff. A team comprising assistant directors of airworthiness and a flight operations inspector were already present in Ahmedabad and were collecting information at the site.' Emergency response teams, including seven fire engines and three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) units from Gandhinagar, swiftly reached the site. Three additional NDRF teams are being moved in from Vadodara to assist with rescue and relief efforts. Air India confirmed the crash on social media, stating: "Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, June 12, 2025. We are ascertaining details and will provide updates as soon as possible." The airline added that it is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities. According to flight tracker Flightradar24, the aircraft bore the registration VT-ANB and had earlier flown from Delhi to Ahmedabad the same day. The passenger manifest, accessed by India Today, lists 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Among the passengers was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu is en route to Ahmedabad to assess the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep shock over the tragic Air India plane crash, describing the incident as 'heartbreaking beyond words.' 'The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. I have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected,' PM Modi said in a post on X on Thursday. Modi has directed authorities to initiate urgent rescue and relief measures. Further updates are awaited as investigation and rescue operations continue. Several global leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on Thursday expressed shock and grief. "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating. I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time," Starmer posted on X. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also took to social media, offering his deepest condolences on the tragic accident. "Horrible news of a passenger plane crash in India. My deepest condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire people of India on this tragic day. Our thoughts are with all victims' relatives and close ones in India, the UK, Portugal, and Canada. We share your shock and grief on this tragic day. We all pray for as many lives to be saved as possible and wish a speedy recovery to those injured," Zelensky posted on X. Russia's Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov termed the accident as a major catastrophe. "Heartbreaking news is coming from Ahmedabad. My heartfelt sympathy to the families and near ones of the victims and to all Indian people and the Government of India over this tragic major catastrophe!" he said. SUNDAY TRIBUNE A plane enroute to London crashed in a residential area in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday Image: IANS
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
How the Air India crash investigation is unfolding
Less than 40 seconds. That's how long Air India Flight 171 was airborne before it plunged into a densely populated neighbourhood in Ahmedabad in one of India's rarest aviation disasters in recent memory. Investigators now face the grim task of sifting through the wreckage and decoding the cockpit voice and flight data recorders of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to piece together what went catastrophically wrong in the seconds after take-off. Under international rules set by the UN aviation body ICAO, a preliminary investigation report should be released within 30 days, with the final report ideally completed within 12 months. The London Gatwick-bound aircraft, piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar, lifted off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad at 13:39 local time [08:09 GMT] on Thursday, with 242 people and nearly 100 tonnes of fuel on board. Within moments, a mayday call crackled from the cockpit. It would be the last transmission. This was followed by a loss of altitude and a crash engulfed in flames. What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Captain Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), calls this "the rarest of the rare" crashes - a controlled flight into terrain just 30 seconds after take-off. "To my knowledge, nothing quite like this has ever happened," he told the BBC. Did both engines fail due to bird strikes or fuel contamination? Were the flaps improperly extended, reducing lift on a heavily loaded jet in extreme heat? Was there a maintenance error during engine servicing? Or did an inadvertent crew action cut off fuel to both engines? Investigators will be probing all these possibilities - and more. Air crash investigations rely on triangulation and elimination - matching physical evidence from the wreckage with recorded aircraft performance data to build a coherent picture of what went wrong. Every scorched cable, damaged turbine blade, airplane maintenance log, and signals and sounds from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders - the so-called "black box" - will be examined. The BBC spoke to accident experts to understand how the investigation will proceed. Critically, the first clues on the ground may come from the wreckage of the two engines, at least three investigators said. "You can tell from the damage whether the engines were generating power at impact - turbines fracture differently when spinning at high speed," says Peter Goelz, a former managing director of US's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "That's the first clue to what went wrong." Turbines are crucial rotating components that play a key role in extracting energy to generate thrust. "If the engines weren't producing power, investigators have a serious case on their hands - and the focus will shift sharply to the cockpit." What happened in the cockpit will be revealed by the Boeing 787's Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) - or the "black boxes" - which, investigators say, will help tell the story. (Indian officials say the recorders have been recovered from the crash site.) These devices capture extensive flight data and cockpit audio - from pilot radio calls to ambient cockpit sounds. Voice recordings come from individual pilot mics, radio transmissions and an area microphone that picks up background noise in the cockpit. Data recorders track with high precision the position of gear and flap levers, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow and even fire handle activation. "If the flight data recorder shows the engines were making full power, then the attention will move to the flaps and slats. If they are found to be extended as needed, then it becomes a very difficult investigation," says Mr Goelz. Flaps and slats increase lift at lower speeds, helping an aircraft take off and land safely by allowing it to fly slower without stalling. "If [the trail leads] to a problem in the flight management control system, that would raise serious concerns - not just for Boeing, but for the entire aviation industry." The Boeing 787's flight management control system is a highly automated suite that manages navigation, performance and guidance. It integrates data from a number of sensors to optimise the aircraft's flight path and fuel efficiency. With over 1,100 Boeing 787s flying worldwide since 2011, investigators must determine whether this was a systemic issue that could affect the global fleet - or a one-off failure unique to this flight, experts say. "If it points to a system problem, then the regulatory bodies have to make some tough decisions very quickly," says Mr Goelz. So far, there is no indication of fault on anyone's part. India's civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday that a recent inspection of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet - 24 of 33 aircraft have been checked so far - "did not reveal any major safety concern," adding that the planes and maintenance systems complied with existing standards. Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said on 12 June: "Boeing will defer to India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for information on Air India Flight 171, in line with UN ICAO protocol." Decoding of the data at the AAIB lab in Delhi will be led by Indian investigators, with experts from Boeing, engine-maker GE, Air India and Indian regulators. Investigators from the NTSB and UK will also be participating. "In my experience, teams can usually determine what happened fairly quickly," Mr Goelz says. "But understanding why it happened can take much longer." The wreckage may yield other clues. "Every part - wire, nut, bolt - will be meticulously collected," says Mr Chinta. Typically, wreckage is moved to a nearby hangar or secure facility, laid out to identify the nose, tail and wingtips, and then pieced together. In this case, depending on what the flight data and voice recorders reveal, a full reconstruction may not be necessary, investigators say. The importance of wreckage varies by accident, say investigators. For Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, it was crucial - reconstruction of the nose revealed clear shrapnel damage from a Russian-made missile. In the wreckage, investigators will also examine fuel filters, lines, valves and residual fuel to check for contamination - something that's easy to detect or rule out, a crash investigator who preferred to remain unnamed, said. Also, he believed that the refuelling equipment used before departure "has likely been quarantined and already inspected". That's not all. Investigators will gather maintenance and fault history records from the airline and Boeing's ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting system) which transmits data via radio or satellite to both Boeing and Air India, says Mr Chinta. They will review all flights operated by the aircraft and the crew over recent months, along with the technical log of pilot-reported faults and corrective actions taken before release of aircraft to service. Investigators will also examine pilot licenses, training records, simulator performance and instructor remarks - including how pilots handled scenarios like engine failures in advanced flight simulators. "I reckon Air India would have already provided these records to the investigation team," says Mr Chinta. Investigators will review the service history of all components of the aircraft that were removed and replaced, examining reported defects for any recurring issues - or signs of problems that could have affected this flight. "These investigations are extraordinarily complex. They take time, but there will be early indicators of what likely went wrong," says Mr Goelz. A big reason is how far technology has come. "One of the first accidents I investigated in 1994 had a flight data recorder tracking just four parameters," he says. "Today's recorders capture hundreds - if not thousands - every second. That alone has transformed the way we investigate crashes." Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Air India: How the Boeing Dreamliner crash investigation is unfolding
Less than 40 how long Air India Flight 171 was airborne before it plunged into a densely populated neighbourhood in Ahmedabad in one of India's rarest aviation disasters in recent now face the grim task of sifting through the wreckage and decoding the cockpit voice and flight data recorders of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to piece together what went catastrophically wrong in the seconds after take-off. Under international rules set by the UN aviation body ICAO, a preliminary investigation report should be released within 30 days, with the final report ideally completed within 12 London Gatwick-bound aircraft, piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar, lifted off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad at 13:39 local time [08:09 GMT] on Thursday, with 242 people and nearly 100 tonnes of fuel on board. Within moments, a mayday call crackled from the cockpit. It would be the last transmission. This was followed by a loss of altitude and a crash engulfed in could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?Captain Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), calls this "the rarest of the rare" crashes - a controlled flight into terrain just 30 seconds after take-off. "To my knowledge, nothing quite like this has ever happened," he told the both engines fail due to bird strikes or fuel contamination? Were the flaps improperly extended, reducing lift on a heavily loaded jet in extreme heat? Was there a maintenance error during engine servicing? Or did an inadvertent crew action cut off fuel to both engines? Investigators will be probing all these possibilities - and more. Air crash investigations rely on triangulation and elimination - matching physical evidence from the wreckage with recorded aircraft performance data to build a coherent picture of what went scorched cable, damaged turbine blade, airplane maintenance log, and signals and sounds from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders - the so-called "black box" - will be examined. The BBC spoke to accident experts to understand how the investigation will the first clues on the ground may come from the wreckage of the two engines, at least three investigators said."You can tell from the damage whether the engines were generating power at impact - turbines fracture differently when spinning at high speed," says Peter Goelz, a former managing director of US's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "That's the first clue to what went wrong." Turbines are crucial rotating components that play a key role in extracting energy to generate thrust."If the engines weren't producing power, investigators have a serious case on their hands - and the focus will shift sharply to the cockpit."What happened in the cockpit will be revealed by the Boeing 787's Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) - or the "black boxes" - which, investigators say, will help tell the story. (Indian officials say the recorders have been recovered from the crash site.)These devices capture extensive flight data and cockpit audio - from pilot radio calls to ambient cockpit sounds. Voice recordings come from individual pilot mics, radio transmissions and an area microphone that picks up background noise in the recorders track with high precision the position of gear and flap levers, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow and even fire handle activation. "If the flight data recorder shows the engines were making full power, then the attention will move to the flaps and slats. If they are found to be extended as needed, then it becomes a very difficult investigation," says Mr Goelz. Flaps and slats increase lift at lower speeds, helping an aircraft take off and land safely by allowing it to fly slower without stalling."If [the trail leads] to a problem in the flight management control system, that would raise serious concerns - not just for Boeing, but for the entire aviation industry."The Boeing 787's flight management control system is a highly automated suite that manages navigation, performance and guidance. It integrates data from a number of sensors to optimise the aircraft's flight path and fuel over 1,100 Boeing 787s flying worldwide since 2011, investigators must determine whether this was a systemic issue that could affect the global fleet - or a one-off failure unique to this flight, experts say. "If it points to a system problem, then the regulatory bodies have to make some tough decisions very quickly," says Mr far, there is no indication of fault on anyone's part. India's civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday that a recent inspection of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet - 24 of 33 aircraft have been checked so far - "did not reveal any major safety concern," adding that the planes and maintenance systems complied with existing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said on 12 June: "Boeing will defer to India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for information on Air India Flight 171, in line with UN ICAO protocol."Decoding of the data at the AAIB lab in Delhi will be led by Indian investigators, with experts from Boeing, engine-maker GE, Air India and Indian regulators. Investigators from the NTSB and UK will also be participating."In my experience, teams can usually determine what happened fairly quickly," Mr Goelz says. "But understanding why it happened can take much longer."The wreckage may yield other clues. "Every part - wire, nut, bolt - will be meticulously collected," says Mr Chinta. Typically, wreckage is moved to a nearby hangar or secure facility, laid out to identify the nose, tail and wingtips, and then pieced together. In this case, depending on what the flight data and voice recorders reveal, a full reconstruction may not be necessary, investigators importance of wreckage varies by accident, say investigators. For Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, it was crucial - reconstruction of the nose revealed clear shrapnel damage from a Russian-made missile. In the wreckage, investigators will also examine fuel filters, lines, valves and residual fuel to check for contamination - something that's easy to detect or rule out, a crash investigator who preferred to remain unnamed, said. Also, he believed that the refuelling equipment used before departure "has likely been quarantined and already inspected".That's not all. Investigators will gather maintenance and fault history records from the airline and Boeing's ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting system) which transmits data via radio or satellite to both Boeing and Air India, says Mr will review all flights operated by the aircraft and the crew over recent months, along with the technical log of pilot-reported faults and corrective actions taken before release of aircraft to will also examine pilot licenses, training records, simulator performance and instructor remarks - including how pilots handled scenarios like engine failures in advanced flight simulators. "I reckon Air India would have already provided these records to the investigation team," says Mr will review the service history of all components of the aircraft that were removed and replaced, examining reported defects for any recurring issues - or signs of problems that could have affected this flight."These investigations are extraordinarily complex. They take time, but there will be early indicators of what likely went wrong," says Mr Goelz.A big reason is how far technology has come. "One of the first accidents I investigated in 1994 had a flight data recorder tracking just four parameters," he says."Today's recorders capture hundreds - if not thousands - every second. That alone has transformed the way we investigate crashes."Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
News18
3 days ago
- General
- News18
Air India Mumbai-Ahmedabad Flight Cancelled As Crew Exceed Duty Time Amid Operational Delays
Last Updated: Air India's Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight was cancelled after delays led the crew to exceed their duty time limit. Amid the rising incidents involving Air India, another of the carrier's flights was cancelled on Monday after facing delays caused by operational issues, eventually leading to the expiry of the crew's duty time. News agency ANI quoted sources and reported that Air India's flight AI2493 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was supposed to be operated by an Airbus A321-211 aircraft (VT-PPL). The flight was first delayed due to an unspecified operational issue, during which, the assigned crew reached the limit of their Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), a rule that restricts the number of hours airline crew members can work for safety reasons. Early on Tuesday, an Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai suffered a technical glitch in one of its engines. All passengers on the flight were asked to deplane at the Kolkata airport, where the flight had arrived for a layover. On Monday, an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Ranchi was diverted back to the national capital shortly after taking off, due to a suspected technical issue. Before that, an Air India flight returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a midair technical issue. Air India said in a statement that the New Delhi-bound plane landed in Hong Kong safely and was undergoing checks 'as a matter of abundant precaution." Airport Authority Hong Kong said in a separate statement that flight AI315 returned to the southern Chinese city's airport around 1 pm. The incidents come days after a London-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex. The ill-fated flight was under the command of Capt Sabharwal along with First Officer Clive Kundar. While Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kundar 1,100 hours, the DGCA earlier said in a statement. On Tuesday, the mortal remains of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal were brought to Mumbai. Those dead in the Ahmedabad plane crash also included Gujarat's former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was cremated with full state honours in the presence of top BJP leaders on Monday. First Published: June 17, 2025, 08:52 IST
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Air India Plane Crash Press Conference by Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 flying hours, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours. Passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national, according to airline officials. Show more Show less
