Latest news with #AI-187
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Air India flight plunged 900ft after takeoff in terrifying mid-air incident
Two pilots have been grounded following the worrying incident which came a matter of days after the doomed Air India flight to London Gatwick crashed after take off An Air India flight from Delhi to Vienna experienced a sudden 900ft drop moments after takeoff just days after a deadly crash in Ahmedabad. The June 14 incident prompted a full-scale investigation and the grounding of both pilots. Flight AI-187, a Boeing 777, departed Indira Gandhi International Airport at 2.56 am a fortnight ago, and landed safely in Vienna after a nine-hour journey. However, moments after takeoff, the aircraft triggered multiple cockpit alerts—including stall warnings and repeated 'Don't sink' proximity alarms, raising serious safety concerns. Air India confirmed that the pilots acted swiftly to stabilise the aircraft despite challenging weather conditions. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was immediately informed, and data from the aircraft's flight recorders has since been retrieved for analysis. Pending the outcome of the investigation, both pilots have been taken off duty, according to local media reports. The DGCA has also summoned Air India's Head of Safety for an explanation and launched a detailed audit of the airline's operations. This incident occurred just 38 hours after another Air India tragedy: a London-bound Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing nearly 270 people. A recent DGCA safety audit flagged recurring maintenance lapses and poor fault rectification across Air India's fleet. Earlier this month, several flights reported technical issues, prompting the aviation regulator to begin a comprehensive review of the airline's base in Gurugram. The audit, which began on June 23, covers flight planning, scheduling, rostering, and the Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). As investigators examine whether weather, mechanical failure, or pilot error contributed to the Vienna-bound flight's altitude loss, the findings could lead to stricter oversight and changes in operational protocols. This weekend it was revealed that Air India investigators are probing whether the tragic plane crash could have been caused by sabotage. Only one passenger, British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash on June 12, which happened shortly after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad in western India. The plane, with 52 Brits on board, was bound for London Gatwick. An investigation was immediately launched after the tragedy - and the Indian government has now revealed investigators are looking into sabotage as a possible cause. Murlidhar Mohol, the country's Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said: "The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full probe. It is being assessed from all angles, including any possible sabotage." There has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, but this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged they are looking into it as a possible cause of the crash. On Thursday, the country's civil aviation ministry said investigators had begun analysing data extracted from the black boxes of the plane. The data is crucial as it will help shed light on the cause of the crash. "These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences," the ministry said. The probe is being carried out by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, with support from the US National Transport Safety Board. Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site a couple of days after the crash. These boxes - which are typically orange, not black - are considered the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash. There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to the national capital, New Delhi, in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months.
India Today
5 days ago
- General
- India Today
Delhi-Vienna Air India flight plunged 900 feet post take-off, pilots grounded
An Air India flight from Delhi to Vienna dropped nearly 900 feet mid-air shortly after takeoff, just days after the fatal Ahmedabad crash involving the airline's AI-171, according to a report by The Times of India. Both pilots have now been grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, a spokesperson for the airline said on AI-187, a Boeing 777, departed Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport at 2.56 am on June 14 and landed safely in Vienna after a flight of nine hours and eight minutes. Soon after takeoff, however, the aircraft abruptly lost altitude, triggering stall and ground proximity warnings, including repeated "Don't sink" alerts, the TOI report states. advertisementAir India said the pilots acted swiftly to stabilise the plane and continued the journey safely despite challenging weather conditions. "Upon receipt of the pilot's report, the matter was disclosed to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in accordance with regulations. Subsequently, upon receipt of data from the aircraft's recorders, further investigation was initiated. The pilots have been off-rostered pending the outcome of the investigation," Air India spokesperson aviation regulator has launched a detailed probe and has summoned Air India's Head of Safety for an explanation. The incident occurred roughly 38 hours after a London-bound Air India flight, Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, with 242 passengers and crew on board, crashed moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on the afternoon of June 12, killing around 270 recent safety audit by the DGCA has highlighted repeated maintenance lapses and poor defect rectification within Air India's fleet. This came after multiple Air India flights reported technical snags earlier this month. The ongoing investigation will examine whether weather conditions, mechanical faults, or pilot errors were responsible, and could lead to tighter inspections and changes in operational June 23, the aviation watchdog conducted a detailed audit at Air India's main base in Gurugram that will cover operations, flight scheduling, rostering and various other areas, a source told news agency PTI."DGCA has started the audit at Air India's main base at Gurugram. The annual exercise will cover all aspects, including operations, flight planning, scheduling, rostering and IOCC (Integrated Operations Control Centre)," the source said.- Ends
