Latest news with #IndiaDreamliner
News18
15 hours ago
- News18
Air India Crash: From Fuel Tampering To Security Breach, 7 Sabotage Angles Being Probed, Say Sources
Last Updated: According to top intelligence sources, the rare occurrence of a dual engine failure in the Air India Dreamliner has triggered this comprehensive investigation to eliminate doubts. Indian security agencies are leaving no stone unturned in investigating potential sabotage in the Air India AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. The agencies are employing a strategy of prevention through elimination to rule out every possible sabotage scenario, thereby safeguarding aviation infrastructure and deterring future threats. According to top intelligence sources, the thorough investigations will only commence once the black box recordings are decoded by the appointed investigator. CNN-News18 has outlined the various angles being considered by intelligence agencies as they probe the sabotage possibilities. According to top intelligence sources, the rare occurrence of a dual engine failure in the Air India Dreamliner has triggered this comprehensive investigation to eliminate any doubts. 1. Fuel Chain Tampering Among the primary lines of inquiry, sources reveal, is the possibility of fuel chain tampering. The integrity of fuel sourcing, storage, and hydrant systems are under forensic review for any signs of chemical adulteration or deliberate contamination. Ground staff and supplier contracts at Ahmedabad airport are being meticulously scrutinised for any potential infiltration. 2. Maintenance Sabotage & Insider Angle 3. Cyber-Physical Manipulation Another critical angle, according to top intelligence sources, is the potential for cyber-physical manipulation. The Boeing 787 is vulnerable to malware or software interference. Forensic cyber audits are being conducted on engine control units, flight management systems, and ground maintenance terminals to detect any implanted code or command spoofing. 4. Insider Access & Airport Security Breach Security agencies are also investigating any unauthorized access or compromised personnel at the airport. Access logs, biometric trails, and CCTV footage, especially from the pre-flight period, are under review. Any deviations in crew or logistics handling timelines are being closely examined. 5. Targeted Passenger Or Cargo Driven Motive Intelligence sources suggest that the investigation is also looking into targeted passenger or cargo-driven motives. Manifests are being cross-checked for individuals with political, intelligence, or legal sensitivities to determine if the aircraft was a targeted symbolic or strategic goal. 6. External Hand Or Proxy-Actor Involvement Given the aircraft's Indian carrier status, Dreamliner platform, and the mix of Indian and British passengers, agencies are probing the involvement of foreign hostile entities or non-state proxies, considering this incident as a possible demonstration or retaliation stage. 7. Airfield And ATC Interference Finally, agencies are analysing the possibility of airfield and ATC interference. This includes electronic warfare tactics such as GPS spoofing, signal jamming, or compromised ATC instructions. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol had on Sunday stated that sabotage is one of the key angles being examined in the crash, which claimed 274 lives in Ahmedabad. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading a comprehensive investigation into the crash of flight AI 171, considering all potential causes. The tragic crash occurred on June 12, when the London-bound Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 (flight AI 171) plummeted into a residential area shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft, carrying 242 people, lost altitude around 1:30 PM and crashed into the BJ Medical College residential quarters in Meghaninagar, resulting in a devastating fire. Only one person survived the crash, while nine individuals on the ground also perished. tags : Ahmedabad Plane Crash Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 30, 2025, 09:54 IST News india Air India Crash: From Fuel Tampering To Security Breach, 7 Sabotage Angles Being Probed, Say Sources
NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
'Reported Defects Reappearing On Aircraft': Aviation Watchdog After Audit
A special audit of airlines, maintenance teams and other aspects carried out by the aviation watchdog at airports like Delhi and Mumbai has revealed several deficiencies, including reported defects reappearing on aircraft, life vests not being properly secured under seats, and the line marking of a runway being faded. On June 19, a week after an Air India Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad, killing over 270 people, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had launched a new framework for Comprehensive Special Audits to identify systemic vulnerabilities and ensure that policies and standards set by it as well as the International Civil Aviation Organisation are being followed. As part of this, a "comprehensive surveillance" was carried out at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, covering critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control, Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations, the DGCA said in a statement on Tuesday. The DGCA did not reveal the names of the airlines, maintenance firms or airports, but said a domestic flight of a carrier had been held up due to worn tyres, a simulator did not match the aircraft configuration, and the work order was not followed for maintenance of aircraft. "(There were) multiple cases wherein the reported defects reappeared many times on the aircraft indicating the ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action on the defects/ repeated defects... ground handling equipment such as baggage trollies were found unserviceable... safety precautions found not taken by AME (aircraft maintenance engineering)," the DGCA statement said. "Similarly, at an airport, centre line marking of runway was observed faded; The rapid exit taxiway, green centre light were not unidirectional; the obstruction limitation data has not been updated for last three years and no survey has been performed despite many new construction around the vicinity of aerodrome; (a) number of vehicles in the ramp area were found without speed governors," it said. In some cases, defect reports generated by the aircraft system were not found recorded in the technical logbook and, in one instance, the corrosion-resistant tape on the right-hand side winglet's lower blade was found damaged. The operators responsible for correcting the defects have been asked to do so within seven days and, the DGCA said, the comprehensive surveillance process will continue in the future as well.
First Post
23-06-2025
- Business
- First Post
Air India Crash Aftermath: Indian Carriers Cancel Several Flights Vantage with Palki Sharma
Air India Crash Aftermath: Indian Carriers Cancel Several Flights | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G Air India Crash Aftermath: Indian Carriers Cancel Several Flights | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G India's aviation sector is facing major disruption following the fatal crash of an Air India Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which killed over 240 people. Airlines have grounded flights, citing technical concerns and heightened caution. A nationwide review of Boeing 787 aircraft is underway. Black boxes have been recovered, and a government panel has been formed to investigate the incident. Meanwhile, bomb threats and emergency landings have further heightened tensions. With rising air traffic and expanding networks, authorities are under pressure to enhance oversight and restore public confidence in the country's aviation safety standards. See More
NDTV
16-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
25 Years Before Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash, A Concorde Takeoff That Changed Flying Forever
When the tailless swan began its ascent to the sky, people on the ground would routinely crane their necks to look up. It was a sight no one wanted to miss. The Concorde, an aviation and engineering marvel, was a vision like no other. The noise was deafening. The liftoffs were spectacular. The flames that shot out of the afterburners on its jet engines were eye-watering. Till one July afternoon, which grounded the metal swan for a while first, and then forever. The Crash Of Air France Flight 4590 It was 2.38 pm on July 25, 2000, and a Concorde had just taken off from Runway 26 of the Charles de Gaulle international airport in Paris. Air France Flight 4590 had been chartered by a German tour company for its clients, a group of well-heeled travellers who were to board a luxury cruise ship in New York. The ship, named the Deutschland, was to sail the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, to Ecuador over a period of 16 days. No one from that ill-fated Concorde made it to the cruise. In less than 90 seconds since it took off from Paris Charles de Gaulle, the airplane dived nose-down into a hotel, burst into flames, and ended up taking the lives of all of the 109 people onboard and 4 people on the ground. Four days after the crash of an Air India Dreamliner, AI 171, in Ahmedabad; today, the crash of Air France Flight 4590 feels like a chilling throwback. Both the planes took off and crashed in less than two minutes of takeoff. The scenes from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, are starkly similar to the scenes from outside Paris on July 25, 2000. What Happened To Flight 4590 Investigations into the crash of Flight 4590 helped condense the sequence of events on that July afternoon. A strip of metal fell off a Continental Airlines DC-10 when it was taking off from the same runway, Runway 26, five minutes before Flight 4590's takeoff The Concorde ran over the metal strip A tyre blew out A large fragment of rubber from the tyre struck a fuel tank on the underside of the wing The impact led to the tank rupturing from within The fully-fuelled tank of the Concorde ignited, most likely from an electrical arc in the landing gear wiring The resulting fire caused the engines of the Concorde to fail When the Concorde took off from Runway 26 of Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the pilot knew that he had an engine on fire. However, it was too late to abort takeoff. The plane had developed too much power by then to halt its takeoff. The exchanges between the control tower and the pilot of the ill-fated Concorde were terse, and over before anything could be ascertained. The pilot was told that the flames were spreading when he said that he was going to try turning towards Le Bourget airport, a minute's flight away from where the Concorde then was. That was not to happen. The plane banked and went into a stall, plunged towards the ground and struck a wooden building, exploded in a ball of flames and killed all its 100 passengers, 9 crew members, and 4 people who were at hotel Hotelissimo. The Pride Of Europe That day in 2000 was the first time a Concorde had crashed in its near-25-year flying history. The state-of-the-art aircraft was a joint achievement by the French and the British and a matter of pride for both the countries. For Europe, it signalled that two countries could work together on an aviation project that was the envy of the world. The Concorde was a symbol of France's high-tech performance too. It was the most ambitious supersonic airliner ever developed. It could reach speeds that were a little more than Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. So, imaginably, the sonic boom was unimaginable. Such was the noise of a Concorde in the air, that it could do only trans-oceanic flights. The noise restricted the Concorde to flights, largely, over the Atlantic. The initial consortium saw interest from buyers all over the world. The market prediction was 350 and the initial orders went up to 100. Air India too had initially ordered two Concordes in a non-binding option, which were cancelled eleven years later. The development costs shot through the sky and the concept of supersonic travel, while brilliant as an idea, turned out to be a disaster commercially. A Guzzler In The Sky By the time the Concorde began commercial flights, there were only two airlines interested in flying it: Air France and British Airways, the national carriers of the countries whose project it was. Only a total of 20 aircraft were ever made, out of which, 14 took flight commercially; seven each for Air France and British Airways. It was a vanity project that kept the airlines from grounding the Concorde even though the aircraft never really became a financial hit. It ended up being the transport choice for the ultra-rich, from names in business to show-business, who made it their business to tote around transatlantic travel in under four hours. For a regular commercial jet back then, the journey across the Atlantic took seven to eight hours and supersonic travel came at a price. At the turn of the century, a round trip on the Concorde would cost US$11,000. The Grounding Of The Swan The crash of Flight 4590 came accompanied with shock. It became the turning point for the Concorde because when it went down, the plane took with it some of France's prestige too. Air France grounded its fleet of seven Concordes right after the crash. British Airways followed suit the following month. The aircraft temporarily resumed service but in the post-9/11 world, with flying in general becoming a bit of a necessity more than luxury, the Concorde saw fewer and fewer travellers willing to shell out astronomical prices for a ticket. The Concorde was finally retired in 2003. A Wistful Memory Today, 18 of the 20 Concordes ever built are in museums; one was scrapped, and another was Flight 4950. The aviation landscape is different today. Crashes are still not all a thing of the past, even though technology has made leaps in the way commercial jetliners take off and land. Since 2003, every few years there are reports here and there about prototypes recreating the marvel that was the Concorde. For now, the swashbuckling swan remains on the ground; and serious supersonic travel, a wistful memory.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
33 ground victims of Air India crash will also get Rs 1 crore compensation from Tatas
While the death toll in the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad touched 274 as of Saturday, 33 people who died on the ground will also get the compensation announced by the Tata group. According to the Tata group, people who died on the ground will be eligible for the Rs one crore compensation and the Tatas will cover the medical expenses of those who were injured in the crash. They will make sure that injured individuals receive all the care and support they need. People who died and were injured in the crash are believed to include doctors, students, hospital staff and local residents from the Meghaninagar area, which is close to the airport. The Tatas will provide support in the reconstruction of the B J Medical's hostel, which was hit and badly damaged in the Dreamliner crash. The death of 241 passengers and crew were confirmed dead on board the plane. There is one survivor of the crash. The remaining 33 victims were likely individuals present on the campus of Ahmedabad's BJ Medical College at the time of the crash. When asked whether the Tatas will provide any assistance beyond the financial compensation like offering jobs to the next of kin, an official said, 'nothing has been decided at the moment. We are still assessing the situation and investigation has begun.' Apart from Rs one crore announced by the Tatas, passengers who died in the crash will also get compensation of nearly Rs 1.5 crore from insurance companies. The primary insurers for the Air India policy are: Tata AIG General Insurance (lead insurer with over 40 per cent share), ICICI Lombard General Insurance, New India Assurance and other PSU general insurers. The final bill will be taken by the reinsurers led by AIG.
