US sees no immediate reason to ground Boeing 787 after Air India crash
Rescue workers inspect the crash site in Ahmedabad, where the tail section lies detached from the rest of the Air India plane. (EPA Images pic)
WASHINGTON : US officials said on Thursday they have not seen any immediate safety data that would require halting Boeing flights after a fatal Air India accident killed over 240 people.
Transportation secretary Sean Duffy and acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Chris Rocheleau made the comments at a news conference and said they had seen videos of the crash in India.
Duffy said he had spoken to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy. An NTSB and FAA team, with support from Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aerospace, was going to India, Duffy said.
'They have to get on the ground and take a look. But again right now it'd be way too premature,' Duffy said. 'People are looking at videos and trying to assess what happened, which is never a strong, smart way to make decisions on what took place.'
Duffy said the FAA was reviewing information with Boeing and GE as part of the investigation into the crash.
Duffy also emphasised the US government 'will not hesitate to implement any safety recommendations that may arise. We will follow the facts and put safety first.'
Rocheleau said, 'As we proceed down this road with the investigation itself, if there's any information that becomes available to us regarding any risk, we will mitigate those risks.'
Duffy said the FAA is 'prepared to send additional resources to get the data we need to ensure the safety of the flying public.'
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New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Stuck in traffic, student missed fatal Air India flight by 10 minutes
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Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Air India crash probe focuses on engine, flaps as India orders urgent safety checks on Boeing 787 fleet
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Investigators recovered a black box recorder from the crash site yesterday of a London-bound passenger jet that ploughed into a residential area of India's Ahmedabad city, killing at least 265 people on board and on the ground. — AFP pic A possible bird-hit is not among the key areas of focus, the source said, adding that teams of anti-terrorism experts were part of the investigation process. The government is considering whether it should ground the Boeing-787 fleet in the country during the probe, the source said. There was no immediate response to requests for comment on that from Air India, Boeing and the aviation ministry. Air India has more than 30 Dreamliners that include the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 versions. A source in Air India said there had been no communication so far from the government on the possible grounding. 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Earlier yesterday, rescue workers had finished combing the crash site and were searching for missing people and bodies in the buildings as well as for aircraft parts that could help explain why the plane crashed soon after taking off. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the progress of rescue operations when he visited the crash site in his home state of Gujarat yesterday. Modi also met some of the injured being treated in hospital. 'The scene of devastation is saddening,' he said in a post on X. Thursday's crash was the first for the Dreamliner since the wide-body jet began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said. The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. — Reuters
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
‘Bird strike a possible cause'
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