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New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Air India crash probe focuses on engine, flaps; India orders safety checks on 787 fleet
AHMEDABAD, India: The investigation into the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source said on Friday, as the aviation regulator ordered safety checks on the airline's entire Boeing 787 fleet. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 242 people on board and bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing altitude moments after take-off over a residential area in the western city of Ahmedabad and erupted in a huge fireball as it struck buildings below, CCTV footage showed. Only one passenger survived, and local media reported that as many as 24 people on the ground were also killed, as the plane crashed into a medical college hostel during the lunch hour. Reuters could not immediately verify the number. It was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. On Friday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained deployed as the plane took off and then descended within moments. The probe is also examining whether Air India was at fault, including possible maintenance shortcomings, the source said. A possible bird strike is not among the primary areas of focus, the source added, noting that teams of anti-terrorism experts are part of the investigation process. The government is considering whether to ground the Boeing 787 fleet in the country during the investigation, the source said. There was no immediate response to requests for comment from Air India, Boeing or the aviation ministry. Air India operates more than 30 Dreamliners, including both the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 variants. A source within Air India said there had been no communication from the government so far regarding a potential grounding. Separately, India's aviation regulator has ordered Air India to carry out additional maintenance procedures on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft fitted with GEnx engines. This includes a "one-time check" of take-off parameters prior to every departure from midnight on June 15. The airline has also been instructed to include a 'flight control inspection'—checks to ensure that control systems are operating correctly—during transit inspections, and to conduct power assurance checks (to verify that engines can produce the required power) within two weeks. One black box found The aviation ministry said that investigators and rescue workers had recovered the digital flight data recorder—one of the aircraft's two black boxes—from the rooftop of the building on which the jet crashed. There was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the second black box, which is also vital to the crash investigation. Indian conglomerate Tata Group took over the formerly state-owned Air India in 2022 and merged it with Vistara—a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines—last year. Investigators from India, the UK and the US have arrived to assist with the investigation. Tata will be fully transparent about the findings, Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in an internal memo seen by Reuters. Chandrasekaran stated that Tata aims to understand what happened, adding, "We don't know right now." Aircraft engine manufacturer GE Aerospace said it supports the enhanced safety inspection measures taken by India's aviation regulator concerning Air India's 787 fleet. "Safety is our top priority," a GE Aerospace spokesperson said. "We are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident." Earlier on June 14, rescue workers completed their search of the crash site and continued looking for missing persons and aircraft parts among the buildings, which could help determine why the plane crashed so soon after take-off. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the rescue operation's progress during a visit to the crash site in his home state of Gujarat. He also visited some of the injured in hospital. "The scene of devastation is saddening," he wrote in a post on X. June 13's crash was the first involving a Dreamliner since the wide-body jet began commercial service in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The aircraft involved first flew in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, according to Flightradar24. The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian


The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Air India, government probing engine thrust, flaps, landing gear after crash, source says
NEW DELHI: Air India and the Indian government are looking at several aspects of the Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad, including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open, a source with direct knowledge told Reuters on Friday. The government is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including over maintenance issues, the source said. More than 240 people were killed in the crash on Thursday.


The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
India probes Air India crash, engine and flap issues eyed
NEW DELHI: Air India and the Indian government are looking at several aspects of the Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad, including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open, a source with direct knowledge told Reuters on Friday. The government is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including over maintenance issues, the source said. More than 240 people were killed in the crash on Thursday.