‘Flickering green and white': Inside the cabin seconds before the Air India crash
In his final message to air traffic controllers, the plane's pilot said the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 'no thrust', was 'losing power' and was 'unable to lift'. The Dreamliner is designed to be able to climb and fly safely in the event of having only one engine operational.
Speculation has been rife over what may have caused the crash, including the possibility of pilot error, faulty flaps, electrical problems or engine failure.
A bird strike is a prominent hypothesis, and could have caused a catastrophic engine failure leading to such a situation, but there has been no evidence of flocks in the area at the time of the crash.
'More than one thing went wrong here. The thing that might have started it, and I think probably did, was a loss of power,' Learmount said
'Whether it was loss of power on one engine or both engines is not clear. But the failure of a single engine should not cause a crew to lose control of a modern airliner, even in the critical early climb phase.
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'At the same time, simultaneous engine failures for unconnected reasons simply do not happen, based on the entire history of aviation. So if there was a failure of both, the question is what could have caused it.'
The two engines on the plane are made by General Electric aviation and have a good safety history. On Friday, the Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, issued a notice to Air India to conduct more inspections of all of its 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with GE engines.
This includes an inspection of the fuel monitoring systems, a test of the electronic engine control, a check of the hydraulics and a review of take-off parameters. 'Power assurance checks' are also to be done on each plane within two weeks.
Dr Akhil Bhardwaj, a senior lecturer in aviation safety at the University of Bath, said he believed the DGCA was acting with an 'understandable abundance of caution'.
Last year, a United Airlines 787 jet, which has the same GEnx-1B engines as the doomed AI 171 flight, suffered an 'uncontained left engine failure shortly after take-off' while flying from Singapore to San Francisco last year, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
The engine ceased working at cruise altitude and set alight, according to the report, with the pilots managing to circle back and land the plane in Singapore using just one engine.
A GE Aerospace spokesman said: 'Safety is our top priority, and we support the action being taken by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation for enhanced safety inspections of the Air India 787-8/9 fleet.
'We continue to work closely with the appropriate regulatory and investigative agencies, and we are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.'
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Experts have suggested that the Dreamliner, which until Thursday had an unblemished safety record, also deployed its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during the ill-fated 60 seconds between take-off and the crash.
The RAT is a propeller-like device that sits in the fuselage between the wings and is only deployed in the most dangerous situations, to provide emergency power to vital electrical systems.
Sambulo Matema, a lecturer in aviation management at University College Birmingham, said: 'There is credence to this theory. In a complete power‑loss scenario, the aircraft transitions from engine‑supplied power to RAT power, and lighting anomalies can occur.'
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'This behaviour aligns with established emergency procedures and the expected performance of aircraft electrical systems under severe duress.
'After total power loss, the RAT deploys as a fallback power source. During this transition, green emergency lighting activates, and white lights may flash while onboard systems reboot and stabilise.'
Learmount, who flew Hercules military transport planes around the Middle East during his RAF career, said the RAT would have sent power to the cockpit. The plane's batteries would also have supported vital systems.
However, neither could have done anything to keep the plane aloft in the event of its turbines spooling down.
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All this suggests the fault lay in the engines. However, what could have caused them to shut down remains unclear.
One theory is contaminated fuel. In 2010, a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong almost ended in disaster when the pilot was unable to control engine thrust, leading it to land at twice the usual speed.
It later emerged that fuel pumped into the plane had been contaminated with saltwater, damaging its engines over time. However, such problems are rare.
Learmount said: 'If you go looking for a potential cause of multiple engine failure, fuel contamination could do it. But again, history is against that potential cause in observed reality.'
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The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Air India crash victims identified, US experts on site
US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said.
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Perth Now
Official death toll in Indian plane crash climbs as search teams find more bodies
Search and recovery teams continued scouring the site of one of India's worst aviation disasters for a third day after the Air India flight fell from the sky and killed at least 270 people in Gujarat state, officials said Saturday. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Air India black box recovered after deadly crash. Recovery teams working until late Friday found at least 25 more bodies in the debris, officials said. Dr Dhaval Gameti at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad told The Associated Press the facility had received 270 bodies, adding that the lone surviving passenger was still under observation for some of his wounds. 'He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged anytime soon,' Gameti said Saturday. Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims have provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognisable. Some relatives expressed frustration Saturday that the process was taking too long. Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching and they are expediting the process. 'Where are my children? Did you recover them?' asked Rafiq Abdullah, whose nephew, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were on the flight. 'I will have to ask questions. Government is not answering these questions.' Another relative persistently asked hospital staff when his relative's body would be handed over to the family for last rites. 'Give us the body,' the relative insisted. Left: Air India plane crash wreckage in Ahmedabad. Right: Kalpesh Bhai, whose 14-year-old brother was killed in the disaster, wails outside the autopsy room of a hospital. Credit: Rafiq Maqbool / AP Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government says it has formed a high-level, multi-disciplinary committee to examine the causes leading to the crash. The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future and 'will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations,' the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement. Authorities have begun inspecting Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday in New Delhi at his first news briefing since Thursday's crash. Eight of the 34 Dreamliner aircraft in India have already undergone inspection, Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with 'immediate urgency'. The government is eagerly awaiting results of the crash investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and all necessary steps will be taken without hesitation, Kinjarapu said. Investigators on Friday recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, which was recovered from a rooftop near the crash site and likely will lead to clues about the cause of the accident. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it had started working with 'full force' to extract the data. The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations, said Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said investigators should be able to answer some important questions about what caused the crash as soon as next week as long as the flight data recorder is in good shape. Investigators likely are looking at whether wing flaps were set correctly, the engine lost power, alarms were going off inside the cockpit and if the plane's crew correctly logged information about the hot temperature outside and the weight of the fuel and passengers, Guzzetti said. Mistakes in the data could result in the wing flaps being set incorrectly, he said. Thursday's Air India crash involved a 12-year-old Boeing 787. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft. There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ex-Qantas pilot's sole survivor theory after Air India tragedy
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash may have lived thanks to a series of factors, according to a former Qantas pilot. British citizen and father of one Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 42, miraculously walked away from the wreckage with minor injuries, making him the only survivor of Thursday's horrific crash. The Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787, was carrying 242 passengers when it crashed and exploded into flames just seconds after taking off from an airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad bound for London Gatwick. Dozens more were killed in the built-up crash site, with the death toll as of Sunday morning at 279. Mr Ramesh sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet. Ex-Qantas pilot David Oliver told Weekend Sunrise on Saturday that it was 'remarkable' that Mr Ramesh was able to walk away unscathed. 'How it was that he managed to get out and people around him were unable to only compounds the luck that he had to come away almost uninjured.' It has been reported Ramesh was in row five, seat 11A, just behind business class and next to an emergency exit. On Friday, Mr Ramesh told reporters he was able to push open the emergency exit door before the plane exploded. 'He was very, very lucky to be seated there,' Oliver said. 'He was lucky that he just had that fleeting seconds to escape the aircraft before it burst into that fireball.' Mr Oliver also revealed the most important actions to ensure survival in the event of a crash. 'Listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt, comfortably but firmly tightened,' he said. 'You've got to wear sensible clothing, bare skin going down an escape slide will give you burns. So just be sensible about what you're wearing. 'No high-heeled shoes for the ladies. You don't want to puncture an escape slide if you're going out. 'But the important thing, listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt,' he added. On board flight AI171 were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, according to the airline. The aeroplane crashed soon after takeoff into a residential neighbourhood, hitting a hostel for doctors. Authorities have said at least 50 medical students who were in the building are being treated in hospital. On Friday, India's aviation authorities recovered one of the two black boxes from the 787-8 Dreamliner, a day after it crashed. The 'Directorate General of Civil Aviation team have recovered one black box from the crash site', senior state police said, with India's Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu saying it would 'significantly aid' investigations. A black-box recorder captures flight data and cockpit audio and is critical in helping investigators determine the cause of an aircraft accident.
