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Tragedy and farce: Air India 171 crash calls for facts, not speculation
It is worth noting that it has been five years since the last large-scale civil aviation accident in India, the 2020 crash of Air India Express 1344 from Dubai to Kozhikode
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We may not know for some time what led to Air India 171's tragic crash just a few seconds after it took off. Crash investigations are some of the most comprehensive such inquiries carried out, and it is vitally important that we wait for this process rather than speculate.
After all, there are some things that we already know: The class of aircraft in question, the Boeing 787 'Dreamliner', has never previously been involved in a fatal incident — unlike, say, the same company's controversial 737-MAX, which has suffered several crashes and been grounded more than once. It has been

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India Gazette
35 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Probably both engines lost power, FDR will interpret what went wrong in AI plane: Ex-Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 14 (ANI): As an investigation is underway to find the cause of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Former Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said on Saturday that probably both engines lost power and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) would be examined to interpret what went wrong. Speaking to ANI, Raha said, 'Looking at the aircraft conditions, the way the aircraft has stalled and sank into the ground, it appears at a very critical stage of flight, transition from ground to air, there has been a loss of engine power. That loss of power could be due to electronic glitches in the control systems of the engine. Normally, it does not happen. Probably both engines have lost power. And it happened at a very critical stage. As a result, it crashed. The second thing (probability) is fuel contamination, which has occurred in the past as well.' He further said that the people investigating the case will check the FDR, as it records every parameter of the flight. 'They have the FDR (Flight Data Recorder), black box. FDR records every parameter of the flight, engine parameters, airframe parameters, and control inputs. They will access the information, interpret it and then the specialist will analyse what went wrong,' Arup Raha said. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. Only one person out of the 242 people on board survived the crash. As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals. The DGCA on Friday directed Air India to immediately carry out the additional maintenance actions on its B787-8/9 aircraft equipped with Genx engines in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices. 'Air India is in the process of completing the one-time safety checks directed by the Indian aviation regulator, DGCA. These checks are being carried out on the Boeing 787 fleet as they return to India, before being cleared for their next operations. Air India has completed such checks on nine of the Boeing 787 aircraft and are on track to complete this process for the remaining 24 aircraft within the timeline provided by the regulator,' Air India stated. (ANI)


India Gazette
35 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Air India Plane Crash: UK sets up Reception Centre in Ahmedabad to provide support to families of British nationals
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 14 (ANI): The British High Commission in India has set up a reception centre in the Ummed Hotel near Ahmedabad airport to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals following the Air India plane crash in Gujarat. According to the statement, the UK Reception Centre will remain open from 9 am to 9 pm every day, starting from today. In a post on X, the British High Commission in India stated, 'The UK has set up a Reception Centre in the Ummed Hotel to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals following the plane crash on 12 June. The UK Reception Centre, near Ahmedabad airport, will be open from 0900 to 2100 every day, starting today.' The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. Only one person out of the 242 people on board survived the crash. As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals. On Friday, British High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron, held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared condolences over the plane crash near Ahmedabad Airport. She stated that the UK and India are working together to establish facts and expressed readiness to support the families and friends of impacted British nationals. In a post on X, Cameron stated, 'I met with Prime Minister @narendramodi this morning. We shared condolences in the face of this tragic accident, and I offered my thanks for the work of tireless first responders here in Ahmedabad. The UK and India are working together to establish the facts. We stand ready to support the families and friends of affected British Nationals - please consult our Travel Advice for updates and contact us on the 24/7 consular helpline.' As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm (IST) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen emanating from the accident site, said the official. (ANI)


India Gazette
36 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Bhutan King, Queen and fourth Druk Gyalpo attend prayer ceremony in memory of Air India plane crash victims
Thimphu [Bhutan], June 14 (ANI): Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, his father, and Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck attended the prayer ceremony here on Saturday in memory of the victims of the plane crash in Ahmedabad and offered condolences to the people of India. The Officiating Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India attended the ceremony, according to the statement released by Bhutan King Wangchuk. In a statement shared on Facebook, King Wangchuck stated, '14 June 2025: A special prayer ceremony was held at the Grand Kuenrey of the Tashichodzong in memory of the precious lives lost in the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. His Majesty The King, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen graced the prayer ceremony and lit a thousand butter lamps.' 'The Officiating Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India attended the ceremony. Their Majesties have conveyed heartfelt condolences to the government and people of India,' he added. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals. As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm (IST) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen emanating from the accident site, said the official. Meanwhile, the Indian government has constituted a high-level multi-disciplinary committee for examining the causes that led to the deadly plane crash. 'A High-Level Multi-disciplinary Committee is constituted for examining the causes leading to the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport (London) on June 12, 2025. The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future,' an order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry read. The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC Log and witness testimonies and will publish its report within three committee is headed by the Home Secretary and includes representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Indian Air Force, and aviation experts. The committee will assess the emergency response of the various stakeholders, including rescue operations and coordination among them. It will also suggest policy changes, operational improvements and training enhancements required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations. (ANI)