Latest news with #AIC171
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- General
- Time of India
Air India plane crash: All Boeing 787s to be inspected; DNA testing of victims being done - key takeaways from Centre's 1st briefing on crash
NEW DELHI: Two days after Air India flight AIC 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board, the civil aviation ministry has launched a sweeping investigation led by the Union home secretary. Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed that DNA testing is underway to identify victims, as the government rushes to support grieving families and tighten safety checks across the country's Boeing 787 fleet. 'The last two days have been very difficult. The accident near Ahmedabad airport has shaken the entire nation,' Kinjarapu said in an emotional address. 'It is heart-wrenching to see the stories of those who lost their lives. My deepest condolences to the families. We are doing everything in our capacity to assist them.' Crash timeline and technical details Flight path & emergency: Flight AIC 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick at 1:39 pm on June 12. Moments after takeoff, it climbed to about 650 feet before rapidly descending. Final transmission: The pilot, Capt Sumit Sabharwal, issued a 'May Day' distress call just seconds into the flight. ATC Ahmedabad lost contact almost immediately. Crash site: The plane crashed at 1:40 pm in Medhaninagar, just 2 km from the runway. 241 people out of 242 - including 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots - were killed. Black box and investigation The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), formed to handle such incidents, recovered the aircraft's black box at 5 pm on June 13. The data, once decoded, is expected to provide crucial insights into what happened in the final moments before the crash. 'We are waiting for the AAIB's full technical report. It will tell us what really went wrong,' the minister said. Safety review and Boeing 787 scrutiny India currently operates 34 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Following the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered extended surveillance and technical inspections of all aircraft in the fleet. Eight of the Dreamliners have been inspected so far. The rest will be examined with 'immediate urgency.' 'We maintain strict safety standards, but this incident showed there's a need for deeper scrutiny,' the minister said. DNA testing and victim identification The government has launched a coordinated effort with Gujarat authorities to identify remains through DNA testing. 'Once identification is confirmed, the bodies are being handed over to the respective families. We hope the process finishes soon, but protocols must be followed,' the minister said. Air India has been directed to assist families with travel, documentation, and grief support. 'We are ensuring there is no lapse in process or protocol,' the minister added. Airport operations and response Ahmedabad airport's runway was closed at 2:30 pm after the crash and reopened for limited flights by 5 pm. The minister praised the swift response of emergency and rescue teams on the ground, noting that all concerned departments were working in coordination. High-level committee constituted for parallel probe A second investigation panel has been set up to go beyond technical causes and examine all theories and safety aspects. Chaired by the Union Home Secretary, the panel includes: Secretary, ministry of civil aviation Additional secretary, ministry of home affairs Representative from the Gujarat government State disaster response authority official Ahmedabad police commissioner DG, inspection & safety, Indian Air Force DG, BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) DG, DGCA Special director, Intelligence Bureau Director, Directorate of Forensic Sciences Services The committee has been given a three-month deadline to submit a comprehensive report, including consultation with experts and stakeholders. On-ground response and minister's statement Civil aviation minister visited the crash site personally, along with Gujarat officials. Emergency responders were already deployed and engaged in rescue and debris removal when he arrived. 'The attitude of the Gujarat government, the central government, and our ministry was unified, to act swiftly and decisively,' the minister said. Aircraft history and operational notes The aircraft had just completed a Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad leg prior to the crash. No issues were reported during the earlier sectors. The Dreamliner involved had no reported safety flags before departure. 'This is not just a tragedy for the families; it is a moment of reckoning for the entire aviation ecosystem,' the minister said.
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- General
- The Hindu
Air India Ahmedabad plane crash: Decoding of black box will show what happened, says Rammohan Naidu
Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Saturday (June 14, 2025) said that the Air India Flight that crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, leaving 241 people dead, has shaken the entire nation. Addressing a press briefing, Mr. Naidu said, "The last two days have been very difficult, especially for the ministry and everyone else. The incident that happened in Ahmedabad has shaken the entire nation. My deepest condolences to the family members who have lost their loved ones in the incident. I have also personally lost my father to a road accident, so to a certain extent, I can understand the pain and anguish the family members are feeling." Air India Ahmedabad plane crash LIVE updates "It was a moment of shock right after we got to know about the incident, but even in that disbelief, I personally rushed to the site to oversee what needed to be done and what support was needed. Once we rushed to the site, the government of Gujarat had already been working on the ground trying to rescue," he added. The Minister said that the recovery of the Black Box from the debris was critical to the investigative process. " The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which was formed specifically to look into the incidents, accidents that happen around aircraft, was immediately mobilised. One important update from the technical investigation which is happening through the AAIB is the recovery of the black box yesterday around 5 pm from the site, the AAIB team believes that this decoding of the black box is going to give an in depth insight into what would have happened during the process of the crash or moments before the crash itself. We are also eagerly waiting for what the results or the report are going to be once the AAIB goes through its full investigation..." Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said, "On 12th June, around 2 PM, we received the information that the plane going from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, had crashed. We immediately got detailed information about this through ATC Ahmedabad. This was an AIC 171 and there were a total of 242 people on board, including 230 passengers, 2 pilots and 10 crew members. This plane took off at 1:39 pm and within a few seconds, after reaching a height of about 650 feet, it started sinking, i.e., it started losing height. At 1:39 pm, the pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a May Day, i.e., a full emergency." According to ATC, when it tried to contact the plane, it did not receive any response. Exactly after 1 minute, this plane crashed in Medhaninagar, which is located at a distance of about 2 km from the airport. The captain of the plane was Sumit Sabharwal, and the first officer was Clive Sundar. As far as the entire history of the plane is concerned, before this accident, the plane had completed the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad sector without any accident. 'Due to the accident, the runway was closed at 2:30 pm, and after completing all the protocols, the runway of Ahmedabad was opened for limited flights from 5 PM,' he added. The AI-171 Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aeroplane bound for London's Gatwick had crashed shortly after it took off from the Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday. The airline said only one out of the 242 people on board the aircraft survived the crash. Earlier, the government constituted a high-level multidisciplinary committee for examining the causes leading to the crash of Air India Flight 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. Earlier in the day, officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) arrived in Ahmedabad, where the London-bound Air India flight crashed. The AAIB, a division under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is responsible for probing aircraft accidents in India and has launched a formal investigation into the matter. (ANI)
News18
2 days ago
- General
- News18
Horrific History Repeats Itself With Air India Crash: Tragic Tales Of Two Flight 171s
Last Updated: Though separated by time, aircraft type, and technological advancement, both flights—IC 171 (1976) and AI 171/AIC 171 (2025)—share more than a chilling flight number In a haunting twist of aviation fate, Air India flight AI 171 (also listed as AIC 171) crashed on Thursday in Ahmedabad, killing more than 260 people, including those on board and some on the ground. As the nation mourns one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history, grim parallels are being drawn to another tragedy: Indian Airlines flight IC 171, which ended in flames nearly five decades ago, in 1976. Though separated by time, aircraft type, and technological advancement, both flights—IC 171 (1976) and AI 171/AIC 171 (2025)—share more than a chilling flight number. They also share the horror of witnesses watching helplessly from the ground as the disaster unfolded. Both planes were marvels of their own time with twin engines. Two Flights, Two Fireballs, Witnessed from Terminal IC 171, a Sud Aviation Caravelle operated by Indian Airlines, was on a domestic route from Mumbai to Chennai when it caught fire just after takeoff from Bombay's Santacruz Airport on October 12, 1976. As the right engine failed, the plane tried to return but plunged into the airfield perimeter in flames. 95 of 100 people onboard died. Importantly, airport staff and passengers at the terminal witnessed the aircraft trailing flames and crashing—a traumatic sight that would linger in collective memory. On Thursday, AI 171/AIC 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, issued a 'Mayday" minutes after takeoff. At an altitude of less than 1,000 feet, the aircraft reportedly lost control and nose-dived into a residential hostel near the airport, creating a massive fireball. Once again, people inside Ahmedabad airport—travellers and ground crew alike—watched in horror as the widebody aircraft descended rapidly and exploded, just beyond the airport boundary. Two Eras, One Tragic Rhythm In 1976, IC 171 flew in an age of rudimentary diagnostics and limited real-time monitoring. The Caravelle, elegant and quiet, was among India's early jets—but its design could not counteract a fire midair. Despite the crew's efforts, the aircraft succumbed in full view of those on the ground. In 2025, AI 171 flew a Dreamliner—a machine of modern marvels, equipped with advanced avionics, fly-by-wire controls, and constant data streaming. Yet, like its predecessor, it failed to escape catastrophe in the critical moments just after takeoff. And again, the crash was witnessed in real time by those on airport grounds, their shock echoing the scenes from 49 years earlier. Flight 171: A Number Now Again in Grief Though the aviation industry usually treats flight numbers as arbitrary, the recurrence of '171" in two major Indian air disasters is unsettling. While globally ominous flight numbers in global aviation, like Flight 191, have appeared in multiple fatal crashes across different airlines, now Flight 171 joins those tragic ranks—a numerical thread linking two eras of heartbreak. History rarely repeats itself with such haunting symmetry. But the tale of Flight 171—twice—reminds us that in aviation, tragedy can echo through time, through numbers, and through the eyes of those who watched helplessly from below.
