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News18
11 hours ago
- General
- News18
Power Failure Behind Ahmedabad Air India Crash? What Investigators Are Learning
Last Updated: Early findings suggest the aircraft may have suffered a power failure seconds after liftoff, but officials stress that the final cause will depend on black box data Officials familiar with the investigation into the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick suspect a sudden power failure shortly after takeoff may have brought down the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed into a medical hostel building after gaining an altitude of only 625 feet. While the final cause will be known only after black box data is decoded, initial visual assessments, including wreckage patterns, ATC reports, and takeoff videos, point to a failure of the aircraft's main electrical system within seconds of liftoff. The aircraft did not reach the minimum altitude required to execute an emergency turnaround or make use of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT), a backup system designed to power critical functions in case of total electrical loss. The black boxes — Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) — have been recovered and are currently in the safe custody of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed on Thursday. He said the investigation is progressing with full support from local authorities, and that key recovery work, including site documentation and evidence collection, has been completed, with further analysis now underway. In response to reports suggesting the black boxes were being sent abroad, the Ministry of Civil Aviation clarified that no final decision has been made. 'It has been reported in certain media outlets that the CVR/DFDR (black box) from the ill-fated AI171 flight is being sent abroad for retrieval and analysis… the decision regarding the location for decoding the flight recorders will be taken by the AAIB after due assessment of all technical, safety, and security considerations," the ministry said in a statement. According to a report in The Indian Express, an officer aware of the ongoing investigation said that early findings do not suggest cockpit error. Based on initial observations, the pilots are believed to have attempted to gain manual control using the Dreamliner's reversionary systems, but the lack of altitude left little room for recovery. The aircraft had reportedly pitched up for liftoff when the power failure occurred, but failed to climb beyond 625 feet — far below the safe path minimum of 3,600 feet. The officer further said that had the aircraft achieved an elevation of around 3,600 to 4,900 feet, the RAT might have been able to help sustain a glide or enable a Mayday return. Instead, the aircraft dropped sharply, with the impact separating the tail section due to its elevated nose position at the time of the crash. Investigators are now closely examining the aircraft's technical logs and maintenance records from the 24 to 48 hours before the crash. The aircraft had flown a round trip from Delhi to Paris on June 11-12 and had earlier completed a Delhi-Tokyo-Delhi sector. Officials are checking whether any crew or ground engineers reported anomalies, including ECAM (Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor) messages, engine thrust issues, or unusual sensor readouts. While sabotage has not been indicated, investigators are examining whether fuel contamination—such as water in the fuel—could have contributed to the suspected power failure. According to The Indian Express, the officer said this scenario may be a leading explanation if no direct technical fault (mechanical or electrical) is found. Water in aviation fuel is a known cause of power loss and may remain undetected until the aircraft is airborne, especially if it leads to corrosion or clogging in the fuel system. Chemical analysis of the wreckage, especially around the fuel tanks and delivery systems, is underway to identify any unusual chemical traces, impurities, or signs of corrosion. Forensic engineers have collected debris samples for lab testing, but much of the fuel system was damaged in the explosion and fire. Comparisons are also being drawn with a February 2020 incident at London's Gatwick Airport, where an Airbus A321 suffered dual engine failure shortly after takeoff. That aircraft returned safely to the airport after declaring Mayday thrice, but only because it had climbed to nearly 3,580 feet, investigators said. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), which is now in Ahmedabad to assist with the AI-171 probe, had concluded in the 2020 case that the failure was caused by fuel system contamination. Notably, engineers had found no faults in the aircraft before it was cleared to fly that night. As per The Indian Express, the officer pointed out that the Gatwick aircraft had shown signs of engine trouble on three previous flights. These included multiple attempts to start one engine and in-flight stalling messages. However, engineers had not conducted an extensive follow-up examination, resulting in the failure being missed. Investigators are now checking whether any such signs were overlooked in the case of AI-171. The Ahmedabad crash is the first known accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a modern aircraft known for its fly-by-wire systems and backup electrical configurations. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is designed to continue flight on a single engine and can operate on manual reversion in case of dual hydraulic failure — standard capabilities for the aircraft type. However, according to the officer cited by The Indian Express, the crash altitude was too low for any of these backup systems to be effectively deployed. The crash has raised serious questions around last-mile maintenance checks, fuel quality verification, and pre-flight inspection protocols. While a final conclusion will depend on flight data and chemical forensics, investigators are 'leaving nothing to chance" given the rarity of a failure involving the 787 platform.
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First Post
13 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.
NDTV
a day ago
- General
- NDTV
'Right Engine Changed, Left Inspected': Air India On Dreamliner Plane Crash
New Delhi: The right engine of the Air India plane that crashed 36 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport - killing 274 people - was overhauled in March 2025 and the left was inspected in April, Campbell Wilson, the airline's Managing Director, said Thursday. The London Gatwick-bound plane was 'well-maintained, with its last major inspection in June 2023 and another scheduled for December 2025', Wilson said in an open letter to customers. The aircraft and engines showed no issues before the flight, and the pilots - Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder - had 13,400 hours of flying experience, he said. Reassurances from the airline's boss follow questions about the safety of the Air India's 128-strong fleet, of which 33 (32 after the June 12 crash) are Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The prevailing theory is a double engine failure or a total electronic or hydraulic malfunction, which is supported by aural and visual evidence of the RAT, or Ram Air Turbine, deploying before the crash. Deployment of the RAT suggests double engine failure, experts told NDTV. Experts speaking to British broadcaster BBC, however, said the condition of a plane's engine is not necessarily linked to its age, particularly in the case of the Genx-1B engines on the 787-8. These engines, ex- aviation investigator Kishore Chinta said, do not have a maintenance schedule because of a software called Full Authority Digital Engine Control thats monitors and flags issues. However, there are still parts that must be replaced regularly due to wear-and-tear, he said. Wilson told customers "thorough safety inspections" had been ordered on Air India's Dreamliner fleet and that checks had been completed for 26, which are now cleared to fly. As a precaution though, "enhanced pre-flight safety checks" on all Boeing 787 planes will continue for the time being, leading to a 15 per cent reduction in its use of widebody planes. This is expected to continue till mid-July. Wilson said the time to perform these checks, and factors such as airspace closure over parts of West Asia, "led to a higher-than-usual number of cancellations on our long-haul network". According to aviation regulator DGCA, Air India has cancelled 66 Dreamliner flights since the crash, with the highest number (22) the day after the disaster. Air India Ahmedabad-London Plane Crash The plane was carrying a full load of fuel and 272 people, including the pilots and 10 crew members. All but one - a British-Indian man with the most incredible luck - were killed. At least 33 people on the ground also died after the plane, which struggled to gain altitude after take-off, crashed into a residential area less than 2km from the airport. A widely-shared video of the crash, shot on a mobile phone by a teen boy from the roof of his home, showed the plane, its jet engines, shrieking shrilly but in vain, falling into the Meghani Nagar area. The tail section of the AI 171 seen sticking out of the hostel for college students. A hostel for medical students took the brunt of the impact; horrific visuals from the crash site showed the plane's tail sticking out of the building. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was one of the passengers. The 'Black Boxes' The flight data and voice recorders, together called the 'black box', have been found and the information within could potentially explain the reason for the crash. However, the device suffered some damage in the crash and will require an extraction process to access the data. READ | Air India 'Black Box' Damaged, Centre To Decide On Sending It Abroad It is unclear if this extraction will be done in India or abroad. In the event the 'black boxes' are sent to the US, Indian officials will accompany it to ensure protocols are followed. What Happened To Flight AI-171 The plane took off June 12 at 1.39 pm, the Civil Aviation Ministry spokesperson said last week, and within seconds, radioed Ahmedabad ATC about a lack of thrust and then went radio silent. "Mayday! Mayday! Thrust not achieved..." were Captain Sabharwal's final words. Ahmedabad ATC immediately tried to contact the flight but there was no response. Seconds later the plane crashed into buildings in the Meghani Nagar neighbourhood, including the college hostel.
News18
a day ago
- General
- News18
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.
