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An Air India flight bound for London, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. Designated AI171, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off at 1:38 PM IST and crashed near the Medani area just five minutes later. Massive plumes of black smoke were seen as fire engines and emergency teams rushed to the scene. The flight crew included Captain Sumit Sabharwal, an experienced pilot with over 8,200 flying hours, and Co-Pilot Clive Kunder with 1,100 hours. A 'MAYDAY' call was issued moments before communication was lost. The cause of the crash remains unknown and will only be confirmed after the black box is recovered and analyzed.
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Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Recent helicopter crashes spark calls for overhaul of safety protocols
A spate of helicopter accidents in recent months, including two fatal crashes that killed 13 people, has ignited urgent calls for a significant overhaul of regulatory oversight and safety protocols in the country's aviation sector. Between May and June, six helicopter-related incidents have happened, with the latest involving a Bell 407 helicopter that crashed on 15 June in Uttarakhand. Most of these crashes occurred in Uttarakhand, a hilly region, around the Char Dham Yatra, an annual Hindu pilgrimage. The copter accident followed Air India's London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crash soon after taking off from Ahmedabad on 12 June. Also read: DGCA orders Air India to conduct immediate checks of all Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft As per experts that Mint spoke to, there are frequent helicopter-related incidents due to insufficient regulatory oversight, pilot fatigue and lack of infrastructure. Industry stakeholders and safety experts are now calling for a structural overhaul to ensure safety in operations. As per the latest data from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), there are over 250 helicopters currently registered and operating in India. Most of these helicopters are being operated by non-scheduled operators like private operators and corporate entities, followed by government bodies. Helicopters operations in India majorly take place for pilgrimage in the hills or in metro cities. Most of the incidents have been reported from the hills. Aviation expert and former director general of civil aviation M.R. Sivaraman pointed out that are frequent helicopter-related incidents because there is no clear control or strict oversight on helicopter operations. He feels there should be a separate wing within the DGCA focusing only on helicopters. 'DGCA must have a separate helicopter wing in the DGCA to take care of maintenance and training of pilots and checks and rechecks etc. Most importantly, the DGCA must be headed by someone with aviation background or a technical background," said Sivaraman. Also read: MRO firm AIESL targets $1 bn in revenue by 2030, eyes new avenues for growth Captain S. Chakravarthy, a former IAF Chetak helicopter pilot, said that the private helicopter operators, especially in Char Dham sites, do not adhere to the set flying norms. 'There is operational pressure which leads to taking short cuts in day-to-day operations. Revenue management creates pressure on pilots for maximum profits, majorly resulting in more flying time for pilots," said Captain Chakravarthy. Queries emailed to DGCA, Union ministry of civil aviation, copter service operators Pawan Hans, Himalayan Heli, Global Helicorp, Thumby Aviation and Heritage Aviation remained unanswered till press time. As per DGCA's Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), pilots can fly a maximum of 8 hours every day. As per the norms, weekly rest of minimum 48 hours and daily rest of 12 hours is mandated for them. Sivaraman also claimed that the FDTL norms are not being followed properly. 'Pilots are under tremendous commercial pressure, resulting in less than mandated rest time, affecting safety. During this season, the weather is uncertain, making it more challenging to fly in the Char Dham region," he said. Need for new SOPs Both experts are of the view that the copter service industry needs more pilots. Most of the pilots that fly helicopters are former Indian Air Force pilots followed by other defence forces. Captain Chakravarthy, who also flies in the Char Dham region, said there is a need to realign the standard operating procedure and there is a need to expand training for helicopter pilots in India. 'Most of the pilots in commercial flying are former trained military and Air Force pilots. These pilots are trained in a different helicopter for a different war-like circumstance which is entirely different from normal passenger commercial operations," said Captain Chakravarthy. He also feels that familiarization of training should be well audited by the DGCA. On the other hand, Sivaraman said there's an urgent need to develop training infrastructure for helicopter pilots. Flying challenges in Uttarakhand Sivaraman said Uttarakhand sees mostly private chopper operations and the flying conditions are very difficult due to high altitude. Uttarakhand saw five major helicopter incidents in the state in a span of 40 days. 'There must be a DGCA office in Dehradun, and there should be senior pilots and senior engineers there to ensure SOPs are being followed. There are so many helicopters operating from various manufacturers, there's a need to oversee safety," said Sivaraman The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) is the body responsible for the sector's development in the state. UCADA was established in 2013 to strengthen and develop the aviation sector and the existing helipads, construct new helipads. Queries mailed to UCADA remained unanswered till press time. Also read: Airlines should not be forced to shift to Navi Mumbai Int'l Airport: IATA Both the experts highlighted an urgent need of having more weather stations especially in the Char Dham region. 'There must be a weather station across Char Dham for 24 hours, that should continuously broadcast weather changes quickly. Unless clear weather conditions, no private Helicopter should be allowed to fly," added the former DGCA. Government Action Recently, the DGCA announced spot checks and comprehensive audits of helicopter operators in Uttarakhand. All flying activities are also being closely monitored by DGCA and UCADA. The Uttarakhand government recently announced that only twin-engine helicopters will be allowed to fly in the Char Dham region.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
AI crash: Did engines fail during takeoff? Clue found at 625 feet; WSJ report sparks new doubt
A Wall Street Journal report has revealed that Air India Flight 171's emergency power system, known as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), was active just 50 seconds after takeoff, raising fresh concerns about a possible engine failure. The crash, which occurred near Ahmedabad and killed 241 people, is now under deeper scrutiny as investigators probe critical system malfunctions. Show more Show less
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
YouTuber retracts comments citing ‘pilot error' for Air India crash after widespread criticism: ‘They did a valiant job of trying to save that plane'
Days after Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which killed claimed 270 lives, experts around the world have been speculating what led to the crash. YouTuber Captain Steeeve, who has been sharing videos on the supposed reasons behind the crash, shared another video on Wednesday where he clarified his previous stance implying that pilot error could have caused the crash. Here, he insisted that he holds pilots from other countries in high regard and never meant to blame them in the first place. However, he discussed other reasons that could have led to the dual engine failure. In his previous video, Steeeve had suggested that the tragic incident might have been caused by a possible error during takeoff. He mentioned that the co-pilot may have accidentally raised the flaps instead of the landing gear. Following this claim, many, including YouTuber Gaurav Taneja aka Flying Beast, who served as a commercial pilot for over a decade, defended the pilots. ALSO READ | 'His legacy will forever be etched': Air India pays final tribute to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in Ahmedabad plane crash At the beginning of his latest video itself, Captain Steeeve said, 'I'm glad to say at this point that that has been put to bed. That did not happen. (After I made the statement) A lot of people said, 'You are casting dispersions on those pilots, their training and their background.' Not at all. I have the greatest and utmost respect for all my foreign pilot friends. These guys are absolutely geniuses. They are terrific at what they do.' He added, 'Those guys earned what they were, and they did a valiant job of trying to save that aeroplane. They were really the heroes, and I wish it had turned out better.' As per the YouTuber, according to last available visuals of the flight, the ram air turbine (RAT), a device designed to deploy automatically if both engines fail or if the aircraft loses all hydraulic or electrical systems, was deployed in the moments leading up to the crash. He also weighed in on the topic of what might have caused the engines to fail. Pointing out that once they start functioning, the two turbine engines basically need ample air and fuel. He noted that RAT deployment could result from electrical or hydraulic failure. He speculated that due to the high temperatures in Ahmedabad that day, airflow might have been disrupted, potentially causing a 'compressor stall'. He also suggested that fuel starvation, possibly due to contamination or vapour lock, could have played a role. Previously, defending the pilots, YouTuber Flying Beast aka Gaurav Taneja had stated, 'It's very easy to blame the pilots when they are not there to defend themselves. Boeing and Air India both are big companies so leave them and let's blame the pilot. Also, it gets easy to claim insurance if you blame it on the pilot. That is one more reason for big companies to not take it on themselves. Americans think Indian pilots aren't very competent but that's not the case.'
