More than 240 killed in Air India crash
Indian authorities are trying to determine the cause of the crash of a passenger plane carrying hundreds of people. NHK's New Delhi bureau chief Mitamura Taro provided more details on the plane crash from Ahmedabad.
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Japan Times
12 hours ago
- Japan Times
Is seat 11A the safest on a plane? Not really, experts say
The survival of a passenger who escaped through an exit door seconds after his Air India flight crashed killing everyone else on board has prompted speculation over whether his seat, 11A, is the safest. Aviation experts say it is not so straightforward because aircraft vary widely in seat configurations, crashes are unique and survival often hinges on a complex interplay of factors. "Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location," said Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit. Viswashkumar Ramesh said his 11A seat was near an emergency exit on the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday and he managed to walk out. Sitting next to an exit door might help you survive an accident but it won't always be 11A because aircraft can have dozens of different configurations. "In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day," said Ron Bartsch, chairman at Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting. "But it's not always 11A, it's just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787." A 2007 Popular Mechanics study of crashes since 1971 found that passengers toward the back of the plane had better survival odds. Some experts suggest the wing section offers more stability. Sitting next to an exit door, like Ramesh, gives you an opportunity to be one of the first out of the plane, although some exits don't function after a crash. The opposite side of the plane was blocked by the wall of a building it crashed into, he said. In January of last year, a panel missing several bolts blew off the side of a Boeing 737 Max mid-flight, creating a gaping hole and damaging the adjacent seat. Fortunately, no one was seated there at the time, and the incident resulted in no fatalities. Sitting by the aisle might offer you a speedier escape but it increases the likelihood of being hit in the head by luggage falling out of the overhead bins — a much more common occurrence than major crashes. Paying attention to the safety briefing at the start of your flight — often dismissed as routine — is likely the best way to improve your chances of survival, experts say. Disciplined compliance with cabin crew evacuation advice, including leaving bags behind, was a key factor in saving the lives of all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines flight in January last year. The Airbus A350 aircraft had collided with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew members on the smaller aircraft. Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route. A common tip is to count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest exit — vital knowledge if the cabin fills with smoke and visibility is low. Despite disasters such as the Air India crash, plane designs have evolved to increase the likelihood of passengers walking away from plane crashes on the very rare occasions where they do occur, Fox said. These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits. "There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground," Fox said.
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
More than 240 killed in Air India crash
Indian authorities are trying to determine the cause of the crash of a passenger plane carrying hundreds of people. NHK's New Delhi bureau chief Mitamura Taro provided more details on the plane crash from Ahmedabad.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Aviation experts draw attention to flaps and landing gear in Air India crash
Video of an Air India jetliner that crashed into a neighborhood points to potential anomalies that aviation safety authorities will examine to understand what caused the accident that killed at least 241 people. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of an 3,350-meter runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co. That could stem from a misconfiguration of the plane prior to takeoff or erroneous weight data entered into the plane's computer system that determines how much power is needed to get off the ground, he said. Mann cautioned that his views were unofficial and not corroborated by data or cockpit voice recorders, which have yet to be recovered from the site. "If the weight is high compared to the actual number, you end up with a very aggressive takeoff,' Mann said. "If the weight is low compared to the actual, you end up with not enough commanded power.' The 787's landing gear was never retracted, which normally occurs just after takeoff, said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigation chief for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. He also said he'd want to know more about whether the plane's flaps — movable panels along the wing that generate additional lift during takeoff — were in the correct position, noting that it was possible those were raised mistakenly instead of the landing gear. "You don't see any smoke or fire or engines burping or anything like that. You don't see any structural failure occurring,' Guzzetti said. "It just appears the airplane was unable to climb once it got off the runway.' That could be due to several reasons, Guzzetti said, including the flaps being raised instead of the landing gear or improper programming of the flight control computer. "We just don't know at this time,' he said. Mann said the flaps appeared to be incorrectly positioned, adding that trying to belatedly adjust the flaps could lead to an aerodynamic stall. The Air India Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers and crew on a flight from Ahmedabad to London. There was one survivor from the plane. Investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will travel to India to assist with that government's investigation of the crash. Additional clues should emerge when authorities recover the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder containing key information about what was happening to the airplane systems and pilots in the flight's final moments.
