Simulation of crashed Air India jet puts focus on technical flaw

Time of India

2 days ago

More than two weeks after the deadly crash of an
Air India
plane that killed all but one of the 242 people on board, investigators and the airline are studying possible
dual engine failure
as a scenario that prevented the
Boeing Co. 787
jet from staying airborne.
Pilots from the airline reenacted the doomed aircraft's parameters in a flight simulator, including with the landing gear deployed and the wing flaps retracted, and found those settings alone didn't cause a crash, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The result, alongside the previous discovery that an emergency-power turbine deployed seconds before impact, has reinforced the focus on a technical failure as one possible cause, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing non-public deliberations.
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The simulated flight was conducted separately from the official probe being led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, and was done to explore possible scenarios, one of the people said.
The Boeing 787 that crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on June 12 was powered by two engines made by General Electric Co. Video footage of the aircraft showed the plane struggling to gain altitude after taking off, and then sinking back to the ground, where it exploded.
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Additional Clues
Boeing declined to comment and deferred any questions to AAIB, while GE said it cannot comment on an active investigation. The AAIB and Air India did not respond to a request for comment.
Whether or why both engines would have simultaneously lost power remains unknown, but investigators will seek additional clues from the two flight recorders, whose data has been extracted and is undergoing analysis. The investigation is exploring a wide range of scenarios, though a closer focus is on technical issues, the people said.
Pilots who reviewed the footage have pointed to the fact that the landing gear was already partially tilted forward, suggesting the cockpit crew had initiated the retraction sequence of the wheels.
At the same time, the landing-gear doors had not opened, which pilots say might mean that the aircraft experienced a loss of power or a hydraulic failure — again pointing to possible issues with the engines that provide the aircraft's electricity.
The engines of modern aircraft are computer controlled using a system called Full Authority Digital Engine Control, or FADEC, which helps pilots control an aircraft's power and makes sure the engines are used efficiently and not outside their operating limits.
An emergency turbine called the RAT, which deploys from the back of the aircraft in the case of electrical failure, was activated before the plane crashed, according to previous findings. That fan helps provide the aircraft with vital power, though it's far too small to generate any lift.
15 Seconds
Analysis of the wreckage suggests the wing flaps and slats, which help an aircraft increase lift during takeoff, were extended correctly. The crash ranks as the worst accident in Indian civil aviation in several decades, and it's the first time that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been lost to an accident.
The pilots, who died in the crash, sent out a Mayday signal shortly after takeoff. There were only about 15 seconds between the distress call and impact, two people familiar with the investigation said.
Teams from Boeing and the US National Transportation Safety Board are supporting the investigation on the ground.
It's unknown when authorities will give an update from readout of the flight recorders, which typically provide a comprehensive analysis of an aircraft's settings and performance metrics as well as conversations in the cockpit.