
Air India tragedy: What happened in the final seconds before the crash? Experts weigh in
In this episode of News Today, the focus is on the aftermath of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. The black box of flight AI-171 has been recovered, and the official death toll has risen to 265, including 241 on board and 24 on the ground. Prime Minister Modi visited the crash site and met with the lone survivor and other injured individuals. The DGCA has ordered safety inspections for Air India's Dreamliner fleet, and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekhar called it one of Tata's darkest days. The crash of Air India Flight 171 has sparked intense debate among aviation experts. So, what happened in the final seconds before the crash? Did the aircraft suffer a technical malfunction mid-air? Was it human error or could it have been bird strikes? Watch as experts share their views on the possible cause on the show.

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Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India plane crash: In first presser, Centre reveals what exactly happened on June 12
The ministry of civil aviation on Saturday said that the Air India flight, which crashed in Ahmedabad, had reached a height of only 650 feet before it started to lose height. In the first press briefing since the aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the aircraft crashed into a medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar exactly one minute after takeoff. Follow LIVE updates here. 'After reaching at a height of 650 feet, the aircraft started to lose height. The pilot gave a Mayday call to the ATC at 1:39 PM (June 12). As per the ATC, when it tried to contact the aircraft then there was no response. After exactly one minute, the aircraft crashed in Meghani Nagar, situated about 2 km from the airport,' Sinha said at the press briefing. "Prior to this accident, the aircraft had completed the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad sector flight without any trouble," he added. Also Read | Ahmedabad crash: One more body recovered from Air India plane's tail Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, who was also present at the briefing, said that the last two days have been extremely difficult. 'The accident near Ahmedabad airport shook the entire nation. My deepest condolences are with family members who have lost their loved ones. I have also lost my father in a road accident. So, to a certain extent, I can understand the pain and anguish that the family members are feeling,' he said. The minister further added that a surveillance of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet has started as per the direction of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. 'Of the 34 Dreamliners in India, eight have already undergone inspection,' he said at the briefing. Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI 171) flight with 242 passengers and crew members on board crashed into a medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. One person survived the crash, while 241 on board were killed. Of the total passengers onboard, there were 169 Indians, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals, apart from 12 crew members. Aviation experts told HT that the aircraft's flight profile — descending while maintaining a nose-up attitude — might suggest a sudden and severe power loss. They cautioned, however, that while such a descent profile is consistent with engine failure, the exact cause cannot be confirmed until later after investigation.


Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Mangaluru plane crash survivors recall horror, gratitude 15 years on
Mangaluru , Fifteen years after the tragic crash of Air India Express flight IX 812 in Mangaluru airport, which killed 158 people, a survivor of the accident, K Pradeep, still recalls the day with solemn reflection and quiet gratitude. That aircraft overran the runway on May 22, 2010 and crashed. Pradeep, now a civil contractor in the city, visits the crash memorial at Kulur every May 22. He lays flowers at the plaque, stands in silence for the lives lost, and offers prayers. "It was the charity work done by my parents and their blessings that saved me,' he told PTI, recalling the horrific moment when the Boeing 737 aircraft failed to stop and plunged into a gorge. After paying tribute, he also visits temples to thank the divine for what he calls a miraculous escape. Another survivor, Usman Farooq, who now works with an ambulance service, also believes his survival was due to divine intervention. He remembers how the portion of the aircraft near the wing, where he was seated, broke apart just in time to allow his escape. Farooq said he owes his life to the Almighty and sees his work in emergency services as a way of giving back. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation , which investigated the crash, attributed the cause primarily to human error. The inquiry found that the aircraft touched down approximately 5,200 feet down an 8,000-foot-long runway, leaving insufficient distance to bring the aircraft to a halt. Despite repeated warnings from the co-pilot and alerts from the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System , the captain continued with an unstabilised approach. Investigators also revealed that the commander of the aircraft had been asleep during a portion of the flight and was likely experiencing 'sleep inertia,' a state of cognitive impairment, at the time of landing. The Court of Inquiry, led by Air Marshal B N Gokhale largely supported the DGCA's conclusions, highlighting pilot error as the primary cause. However, it also pointed to systemic failures. The report noted that the rigid structure housing the localiser antenna at the airport was not frangible, contrary to international civil aviation guidelines. This contributed to the aircraft breaking apart upon overshooting the runway. The inquiry also mentioned that audits conducted by the DGCA in previous years, including one in 2007 and another shortly before the crash in 2010, had flagged several deficiencies in Air India Express's training and safety oversight mechanisms. Unfortunately, corrective measures were not implemented in time. Emergency response efforts at the crash site were hindered by inadequate access routes and limited firefighting resources. Survivors and emergency responders later noted that these deficiencies delayed rescue operations and may have cost lives. In the aftermath of the crash, the DGCA initiated safety audits of other critical airports across the country. The regulatory body also formed the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council to improve oversight. Reforms were proposed to enhance runway safety, especially at tabletop airports like Mangaluru, and to reinforce crew training, especially on go-around procedures. Some of these measures have been implemented, but infrastructural gaps at many airports remain a concern.


Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India plane flew Paris-Delhi, Delhi-Ahmedabad without issues before crash: Aviation ministry
The aviation ministry on Saturday held its first press briefing on the Ahmedabad plane crash, an incident in which an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London plummeted into a hostel building shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard and dozens others on ground. Secretary, civil aviation, Samir Kumar Sinha said during the press briefing that the Air India B787-8 aircraft that crashed on Thursday had flown Paris-Delhi, and Delhi-Ahmedabad without any issues before the crash. Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, who was present at the press briefing, said decoding of black box will provide in-depth insight into what happened moments before the plane crash. Investigators on Friday recovered a black box of the London-bound Air India plane from the rooftop of a medical college hostel it crashed into. The Union civil aviation minister also said during the press briefing that India has very strict safety standards, adding that the incident made authorities feel there is a need to do an extended surveillance into the Boeing 787 Series. "DGCA has also given an order to do the extended surveillance for the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I believe that 8 have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done," the minister said.