Latest news with #AlastairRosenschein
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
What caused Air India Flight AI171 to crash? The key information we know so far
The Indian government is reportedly looking at a number of factors that may explain why Air India flight AI 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday, killing all but one of its 242 passengers. The London Gatwick-bound plane - which was carrying 53 British passengers, 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian - crashed into a medical college and erupted in a huge fireball on Thursday. The sole survivor was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40. At least 24 more people on the ground died. One of two black boxes has reportedly been found in a bid to help piece together vital clues that could shed light on the cause of the accident. On Friday, it was reported that Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open. The government is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including looking at maintenance issues, a source told Reuters. Experts have also raised questions about the plane's landing gear, which was down when it should have been up, as well as the wing flaps. Some have raised the possibility of a power failure or bird strike. Here, Yahoo News UK looks at what investigators are likely to be considering. The Reuters news agency has reported two police sources as saying one of two black boxes from the plane has been found. They did not say whether it was the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder that had been recovered. The black boxes, which are coloured orange to make them easier to find in the event of a crash, will be critical in establishing what happened. There are normally two recorders: a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) for pilot voices or cockpit sounds, and a separate Flight Data Recorder (FDR). They are mandatory on civil flights, but their aim is not to determine any wrongdoing or fault - they are designed to preserve clues from cockpit sounds and data to help prevent future accidents. According to Reuters, investigators say the FDR helps them analyse what happened, and the CVR can start to explain why, though no two investigations are the same. According to Airbus: "Flight recorders store data (aircraft parameters) and sound (pilot, copilot, radio communications and the cockpit ambient noise). The recording device is crash-protected up to a certain level. It is resistant to fire, explosion, impact and water immersion." Video of the plane before the crash has shown its landing gear was down. Usually, this folds back into the aircraft immediately after it becomes airborne. Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein told Sky News: "It's clearly got its [landing] gear down and that is not correct... it should have been up." Watch: Moment Air India flight crashes after take-off He added: "I cannot understand why the [landing] gear would have been down... [and] left down. That would suggest, perhaps, a hydraulic problem because it's hydraulics that raise the gear." However, he made clear this was speculation. US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse also said of the landing gear being down: "If you didn't know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway." Steve Scheibner, an American Airlines pilot, also suggested there were abnormalities with the plane's wing flaps and linked this to the landing gear being down. Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar cried 'mayday' as the plane lost altitude, saying the engine was 'losing power'. According to reports, Sabharwal, who had more than 8,000 hours of flying experience, said he had 'no thrust' and was 'unable to lift'. And the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources, that an investigation into the crash was focusing on "whether the aircraft had a loss or reduction in engine thrust". Dr Jason Knight, a senior lecturer in fluid mechanics at the University of Portsmouth, told The Telegraph: 'It appears from the video there is a cloud of dust just after take-off. 'I'm not sure, but it appears as though the cloud of dust could be from the engines as they both fail.' A twin-engine failure is extremely rare. The BBC reported experts familiar with Ahmedabad Airport as saying it is "notorious for birds", which can cause engine failures. Dr Knight also said "the most likely [reason] is a bird strike in both engines". But Scheibner said he didn't think a bird strike is a "likely theory". "We don't see any birds in the picture. It would have to be a lot of birds to foul out both engines and we don't see any indications coming out of the back of the engine that that happened: you'd see flames, you'd see sparks." Who were the British victims of the Air India plane crash? (The Guardian) Heartbreaking final selfie of doctor's young family starting a new life in Britain (The Telegraph) 'She was a ray of sunshine': First British victims of Air India plane crash named after 241 killed (The Independent)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What caused Air India Flight AI171 to crash? The key information we know so far
The Indian government is reportedly looking at a number of factors that may explain why Air India flight AI 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday, killing all but one of its 242 passengers. The London Gatwick-bound plane - which was carrying 53 British passengers, 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian - crashed into a medical college and erupted in a huge fireball on Thursday. The sole survivor was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40. At least 24 more people on the ground died. One of two black boxes has reportedly been found in a bid to help piece together vital clues that could shed light on the cause of the accident. On Friday, it was reported Air India and the Indian government are looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open. The government is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including over maintenance issues, a source told Reuters. Experts have also raised questions about the plane's landing gear, which was down when it should have been up, as well as the wing flaps. Some have raised the possibility of a power failure or bird strike. Here, Yahoo News UK looks at what investigators are likely to be considering. The Reuters news agency has reported two police sources as saying one of two black boxes from the plane has been found. They did not say whether it was the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder that had been recovered. The black boxes, which are actually coloured orange to make them easier to find in the event of a crash, will be critical in establishing what actually happened. There are normally two recorders: a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) for pilot voices or cockpit sounds, and a separate Flight Data Recorder (FDR), They are mandatory on civil flights but their aim is not to determine any wrongdoing or fault - they are designed is to preserve clues from cockpit sounds and data to help prevent future accidents. According to Reuters, investigators say the FDR helps them analyse what happened and the CVR can start to explain why - though no two investigations are the same. According to Airbus: "Flight recorders store data (aircraft parameters) and sound (pilot, copilot, radio communications and the cockpit ambient noise). The recording device is crash-protected up to a certain level. It is resistant to fire, explosion, impact and water immersion." Video of the plane before the crash has shown its landing gear was down. Usually, this folds back into the aircraft immediately after it becomes airborne. Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein told Sky News: "It's clearly got its [landing] gear down and that is not correct... it should have been up." Watch: Moment Air India flight crashes after take-off He added: "I cannot understand why the [landing] gear would have been down... [and] left down. That would suggest, perhaps, a hydraulic problem because it's hydraulics that raise the gear." However, he made clear this was speculation. US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse also said of the landing gear being down: "If you didn't know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway." Steve Scheibner, an American Airlines pilot, also suggested there were abnormalities with the plane's wing flaps and linked this to the landing gear being down. He said it te fl Air India and the Indian government are reportedly looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open. Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar cried 'mayday' as the plane lost altitude, saying the engine was 'losing power'. According to reports, Sabharwal, who had more than 8,000 hours of flying experience, said he had 'no thrust' and was 'unable to lift'. And the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources, that an investigation into the crash was focusing on "whether the aircraft had a loss or reduction in engine thrust". Dr Jason Knight, a senior lecturer in fluid mechanics at the University of Portsmouth, told The Telegraph: 'It appears from the video there is a cloud of dust just after take-off. 'I'm not sure, but it appears as though the cloud of dust could be from the engines as they both fail.' A twin engine failure is extremely rare. The BBC reported experts familiar with Ahmedabad Airport as saying it is "notorious for birds", which can cause engine failures. Dr Knight also said "the most likely [reason] is a bird strike in both engines". But Scheibner said he didn't think a bird strike is a "likely theory". "We don't see any birds in the picture. It would have to be a lot of birds to foul out both engines and we don't see any indications coming out of the back of the engine that that happened: you'd see flames, you'd see sparks." Who were the British victims of the Air India plane crash? (The Guardian) Heartbreaking final selfie of doctor's young family starting a new life in Britain (The Telegraph) 'She was a ray of sunshine': First British victims of Air India plane crash named after 241 killed (The Independent)
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Did faulty wing flaps cause Air India crash? How 787 jet 'made FOUR emergency landings in last month because of problems with flaps and landing gear'
Experts have raised concerns about what might have caused the fatal Air India crash - including potential problems with the Boeing 787's wing flaps and landing gear. Investigations are being stepped up following yesterday's tragedy that killed hundreds of people aboard the London Gatwick-bound aircraft - and the Dreamliner's wing flaps are coming under extra scrutiny as possibly to blame. Experts viewing footage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 ahead of the crash have said its configuration on taking off from Ahmedabad airport in India 'doesn't look right'. The Dreamliner plane was carrying 242 passengers, including 53 Britons - with none on board thought to have survived except one British national in seat 11A. It has also been reported that an identical Boeing 787 made four emergency landings last month - an American Airlines plane with issues linked to its wing flaps not being properly deployed. The aircraft is to have returned to Amsterdam not long after take-off toeards Philadelphia, before later aborted flights to Philadelphia from Dublin, Barcelona and Zurich, the Telegraph reported. Ex- British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein, watching video of Air India's Flight 171 in yesterday's tragedy, suggested the plane 'clearly' had its landing gear down - saying that was 'not correct' and that 'it should have been up'. He told Sky News: 'It's not immensely clear - but it does look like the aircraft didn't have its take-off flap setting.' He described how the flaps must be set accurately to extend each wing's shape and generate further lift at lower speeds enabling take-off and follow-up climb. Mr Rosenschein suggested the wing flaps issue 'could explain why the aircraft came down', with the plane then unable 'to maintain flight'. He added: 'The video is not that clear, but it doesn't look right to me. The altitude of the aircraft isn't right either and the aircraft seems to be descending rather than climbing - it does look like it's an aerodynamic issue because of not having the right flaps setting on take-off.' The Air India tragedy that saw a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummet into a residential neighborhood on Thursday continues to provoke speculation as to its cause. Speculation has been rife that the plane was not correctly set up for takeoff - having not deployed its 'flaps', segments of the wing that are used to assist with lift. Marco Chan, of Buckinghamshire New University, said the setting of the flaps was completely down to the pilot - with more flap increasing the surface area of the wing and helping with lift at lower speeds. But if the plane is not travelling quickly enough, the wrong flap setting could actually work in reverse - and stall the plane. Footage appears to show the jet descending with its nose in the air, as if still trying to climb. Mr Chan said: 'Looking at the footage there are several experts suggesting the flaps aren't configured properly - it is hard to tell, but it could be a possibility. 'Every take-off is slightly different and you may have a different flap setting. It may not have been set properly. If that is the case, that is definitely human error. But we do have other procedures to ensure that doesn't happen.' The plane had been en route to London Gatwick, having taken off shortly after 1pm local time, in fair flying conditions. Air India received multiple safety concerns which has raised questions about its maintenance practices, it has now emerged. Sanat Kaul, former Joint Secretary of the Civil Aviation Ministry, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had written to the airline on several occasions to highlight safety and inspection issues. Mr Kaul said: 'In this matter, the DGCA Director General of Civil Aviation is the regulator. 'It functions under the Ministry, but operates independently. DGCA had written to Air India several times, pointing out multiple issues, mainly regarding safety, things like improper inspections and other lapses. 'So the question now arises about the maintenance procedures followed by Air India. 'There's also concern about what's called 'line maintenance', the checks conducted by inspectors before every flight. How thorough and effective those checks were is now under scrutiny.' Air India has yet to respond to Mr Kaul's claims. Meanwhile, the Indian government is considering grounding Air India's Boeing 787 fleet, the country's broadcaster NDTV reported. According to local reports, one of the black boxes of the Air India flight 171 has been recovered while the search for the other one is ongoing. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said on Thursday: 'Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now we are doing.' He visited the crash site on Friday morning but did not answer any questions from reporters, having previously expressing his 'deep sorrow' over the tragedy. Mr Wilson also said that Air India's efforts were 'focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones'. The British survivor of the Air India plane crash has been visited by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Video footage shows Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, talking to Mr Modi while lying on his hospital bed. Air India confirmed Mr Ramesh was the sole survivor of the 242 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it crashed into a medical college shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport. It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787. Mr Ramesh told DD News, 'I still can't believe how I survived', as he spoke from his hospital bed on Friday. The 40-year-old told the broadcaster the plane felt like it was 'stuck in the air' shortly after take-off before lights began flickering green and white - adding: 'It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' He said: 'I still can't believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. 'But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can't believe how I survived.' Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft's emergency exits. Addressing what happened before the incident, Mr Ramesh told the broadcaster: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Astonishing footage showed the man walking away from the scene with some visible injuries to his face 'Suddenly, the lights started flickering - green and white. 'The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' He added: 'At first, I thought I was dead. 'Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage. 'I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out.' Commenting on his survival, Mr Ramesh said: 'I don't know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes. 'The air hostesses, and two people I saw near me. I walked out of the rubble.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
What could have caused the Air India plane crash?
More than 260 people have been killed after a London-bound Air India plane crashed shortly in western India. Significant questions remain about how a Boeing aircraft with an excellent safety record could crash so soon after take-off. So, what do we know about what happened and what might have caused the disaster? Former Boeing 747 pilot, Alastair Rosenschein, spoke with ABC NewsRadio's Sarah Morice.
Sky News
2 days ago
- General
- Sky News
India plane crash live: 241 of 242 on board Ahmedabad to Gatwick flight killed; British national survived
Aviation experts review crash video An aviation analyst has reviewed footage of the Air India flight before its fatal crash and assessed that the configuration of the passenger plane "doesn't look right". Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein is among several experts who have told Sky News about their first look at video of Flight 171 which showed some potential anomalies. "It's clearly got its [landing] gear down and that is not correct... it should have been up. And from the video... it's not immensely clear... but it does look like the aircraft didn't have its take-off flap setting." Rosenschein explained that the wing flaps need to be set correctly as they extend the shape of each wing and create vital extra lift at lower speeds to enable the plane to take-off and climb effectively. He added that, while he was speculating, it "could explain why the aircraft came down" as the "aircraft would not have been able to maintain flight". "The video is not that clear, but it [the flaps setting] doesn't look right to me," he said. "The altitude of the aircraft isn't right either and the aircraft seems to be descending rather than climbing. "It does look like it's an aerodynamic issue because of not having the right flaps setting on take-off."
