A Week After Air India Crash, Victims' Families Want Accountability
Diu:
A week after the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 241 lives, grieving families are demanding answers from authorities. While investigations continue, many are asking why the cause of the crash remains unclear and why no one has been held accountable yet.
The Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, bound for London, had crashed seconds after take-off. Only one passenger had survived. The crash had also killed 33 people on the ground.
The black box recovered from the plane has been found damaged. Sources said It might have to be sent to the US for data extraction.
"We deserve to know what happened".
In Diu, the brother of Manish Babu, who died in the crash, is struggling with the lack of information and accountability. Manish, originally from Diu, was working at a food factory in the UK and had returned to India to visit family. He is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.
"Why has no one been held responsible yet? Why don't we know what caused the crash?" his brother asked while speaking to NDTV.
"His children have been left without a father, and his wife is inconsolable. We deserve answers," he added.
Last rites amid unanswered questions
At the cremation ground in Diu, the family of Chandu Bagune, a Portuguese national who also died in the crash, performed his last rites. He is survived by his wife and three children.
His relatives, still reeling from the shock, have voiced serious concerns about the lack of communication from authorities.
"We want to know what led to the crash. Who is responsible? Where is the accountability?" a relative, Ashwin Bagune, told NDTV from the cremation site.
Portuguese couple came for Kumbh Mela
Among the victims were Devji Lacmane and Vanita Cana, a Portuguese couple who had travelled to India for the Kumbh Mela. After the pilgrimage, they extended their stay in Diu with family. Their sudden loss has left the community stunned.
"It has been a week, and we still don't know why the crash happened," said Ashvin Dhiru, a family member.
"Maybe it was just our bad time... but no one else should suffer like this. The government and the airline authorities must take responsibility. We need answers-and accountability-so that the real cause is known and such tragedies are prevented in the future," he added.
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Guj plans memorial at AI 171 crash site
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- 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. 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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.
