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Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Air India plane crash: Bird hit, engine failure, or flap issue? Exact reason for AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad may take a year to confirm
Shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, Air India flight AI-171 crashed, killing all 241 on board. Two videos of the aircraft moments before the crash have surfaced on social media, raising key questions about what went wrong. Aviation experts and former airline officials are analysing the clips and suspect a possible dual engine failure as one of the main causes. Experts question unretracted landing gear The aircraft's landing gear remained extended even as it climbed past 400 feet, something pilots say is unusual. "Within 5 secs of lift off, pilots normally put the landing gear up," said Capt Amit Singh, an air safety expert told TOI. Capt Manoj Hathi, a former Air India official, added, "As soon as a positive rate of climb is reached, the landing gear is retracted." Landing gear left down during climb increases drag and slows down the aircraft, making it harder to gain altitude. In normal conditions, retracting the landing gear is one of the first actions pilots take after ensuring a stable climb. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Moose Approaches Girl At Bus Stop In Phnom Penh - Watch What Happens Happy in Shape Undo Possible engine failure, fuel issues or bird hit A major concern raised is why the gear stayed down. Capt Singh explained, "In case there is a distraction the pilots could forget to put the gear up. The distraction could be dual engine failure, bird hit or combination of both. The plume of dust as the aircraft crosses the runway end shows it was low on power and possibly a dual engine problem." Capt Hathi echoed the possibility: "It's possible that a dual engine flame-out was the reason the landing gear could not be retracted. Dual engine failure could occur due to bird ingestion or fuel contamination. Looking at the trajectory and body angle of the aircraft, it appears as if the aircraft has stalled because of loss of speed." Live Events You Might Also Like: Plane crash a result of human karma, not just fate, says ex-Puducherry L-G Kiran Bedi quoting 'Autobiography of a Yogi' Other pilots, who spoke off record, also pointed to a rare dual engine failure — a situation with only seven recorded cases in the past 70 years. Did Air India flight suffered a bird hit? Gujarat has seen 462 bird strike cases in five years, with Ahmedabad airport reporting the highest number, according to Civil Aviation Ministry data shared in Parliament in December 2023. A TOI report from September 2023 also noted a 35% increase in such incidents in Ahmedabad, with 38 bird strikes recorded in 2022–23. In a 2009 case, a bird hit occurred at 2,700 feet when a flock of seagulls was sucked into the engines. In contrast, the recent Air India flight was flying much lower, leaving the pilots with little time or height to react. MAYDAY call and aircraft behaviour hint at emergency The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that a MAYDAY call was issued just seconds after take-off. Experts say this reinforces the engine failure theory. The aircraft is seen in videos flying low over a densely populated area. Moments before the crash, it appears the pilots raised the aircraft's nose, possibly to avoid hitting buildings — a move that may have caused further loss of airspeed. "Even if the pilots had not pulled up the nose it would have continued to glide, descend and eventually crash," Capt Singh said. Questions over flap settings during take-off Flaps, which are critical for lift during take-off, have also come under scrutiny. While some pilots believe the flaps were not deployed, others argue the video footage shows otherwise. The exact status will be confirmed only after detailed analysis. Investigation underway, final report due in one year India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the investigation, following international norms under Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, but it is up to the Indian authorities to decide whether to make it public. The final report, which includes a complete analysis of causes and contributory factors, will be released by June 12 next year. Annex 13 makes clear that the main goal of such investigations is not to assign blame, but to prevent similar accidents in the future. (The article originally published in TOI)
India.com
a day ago
- General
- India.com
Ahmedabad plane crash: What caused the horrific crash of Air India plane? Engine failure, bird hit or...
Ahmedabad plane crash: What caused the horrific crash of Air India plane? Engine failure, bird hit or... Mumbai: Two videos have surfaced online showcasing the final moments of the AI 171 crash that took place outside Ahmedabad airport. Several questions have been raised regarding the crash by passengers and authorities. Several pilots took to social media platforms and have been asking questions regarding the crash. What happened to the aircraft's landing gear — why was it not retracted? Did the AI-171 commercial plane suffer a dual engine failure? What was the position of the flaps on the wings — were they lowered during takeoff? Did a bird strike cause the crash? As per reports, the final probe report regarding the AI-171 plane crash will be released before June 12 next year. The report is expected to have a detailed analysis of the probable causes of the crash. However, for aviation experts, these two videos can give several clues regarding the plane crash. Aviation experts Capt. Amit Singh and Capt. Manoj Hathi explain that aircraft landing gear is typically retracted within five seconds of take-off, once a positive climb rate is established. This is standard procedure because a lowered gear increases drag and fuel consumption, and reduces speed. Notably, retracting the landing gear gives the plane a smooth aerodynamic flow, which allows a plane to fly over 400 feet above the ground. The question arises why the commercial flight not retracted its landing gears? After a brief period, the pilots of AI-171 attempted to prevent a crash in a populated area by raising the aircraft's nose. This manoeuvre, however, reduced the plane's airspeed, leading to its disappearance from view and subsequent crash. According to Captain Singh, even without the nose-up manoeuvre, the aircraft's glide path would have inevitably resulted in a crash. The second point was the flaps used to increase the lift on the wing. As per some pilots, flaps were not lowered as is the norm during the take-off, while others stated that the picture clearly showed they were lowered. Civil aviation authorities, like the AAIB, investigate aircraft accidents according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 13 guidelines. Investigations should prioritise preventing future accidents, not assigning blame. While preliminary reports are due within a month under Annex 13, their release is at the investigating state's discretion. However, final reports must be publicly released within a year.
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Ahmedabad Air India tragedy: What caused the crash? Engine failure and bird hit among theories based on videos just before tragedy
Following the AI-171 crash near Ahmedabad airport, videos sparked questions among aviation experts regarding the unretracted landing gear. Pilots questioned potential dual engine failure, fuel contamination, improper flap deployment, and bird strike involvement. MUMBAI: Two short videos surfaced after AI-171 crashed outside Ahmedabad airport -many questions followed, from those who have flown commercial airliners. On social media, pilots were asking: 1. Why was the aircraft landing gear not retracted? 2. Did the aircraft suffer a dual engine failure? 3. Did the engines die because of possible fuel contamination or blockage? 4. Were the flaps on the wings lowered for take-off? 5. Could a bird hit have contributed to the crash? The final investigation report into the AI-171 accident, set to be released before June 12 next year, will have a detailed analysis of probable causes and contributory factors. But for aviation professionals, the two videos offered many clues. "Within 5 secs of lift off, pilots normally put the landing gear up," said Capt Amit Singh, an air safety expert. Capt Manoj Hathi, ex-Air India official who has held posts of director (ops) and director (air-safety) said: "As soon as a positive rate of climb is reached, the landing gear is retracted." A lowered landing gear increases drag and fuel consumption, while reducing aircraft speed. Retracting the landing gear allows for a smooth aerodynamic flow helping the aircraft climb up. But the clips showed the landing gear extended even as the plane climbed to over 400 feet above ground. Fuel contamination led to engine failure? What could be the reason why AI-171 had not retracted its landing gear although it had climbed to a height of around 400 feet? 'In case there is a distraction the pilots could forget to put the gear up. The distraction could be dual engine failure, bird hit or combination of both. The plume of dust as the aircraft crosses the runway end shows it was low on power and possibly a dual engine problem,' said air safety expert Capt Amit Singh. Capt Hathi Singh, a former AI official, said, 'It's possible that a dual engine flame-out was the reason the landing gear could not be retracted. Dual engine failure could occur due to bird ingestion or fuel contamination. Looking at the trajectory and body angle of the aircraft, it appears as if the aircraft has stalled because of loss of speed.' Other pilots spoke about dual engine failure and possible fuel contamination. The possibility of a dual engine failure is a rare event with about seven documented accidents in the past seven decades. DGCA in its statement said the pilots gave a MAYDAY call seconds after takeoff, further supporting the theory that a dual engine failure occurred probably after the aircraft crossed the speed beyond which a take-off cannot be safely aborted. Video clips show the aircraft gliding and descending over a congested area chock-a-block with buildings. Seconds later, the aircraft nose is raised — AI-171's pilots were probably trying to keep the aircraft from crashing in a congested locality. But raising the nose results in loss of airspeed. The clip shows the aircraft disappear from view and crash. But even if the pilots had not pulled up the nose it would have continued to glide, descend and eventually crash, said Capt Singh. The other point was the flaps — aerodynamic devices that are lowered to increase lift on the wing. While some pilots said the flaps were not lowered as is the norm during take-off, others said the pictures show they were lowered. Investigation into aircraft accidents carried out by civil aviation authorities such as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) follow norms laid down in the International Civil Aviation Organisation's Annex 13. It states that the primary objective of an investigation should be to identify and prevent incidents in the future. Under Annex 13, a preliminary report should be ready within 30 days of the event. But ICAO leaves it to the state (India, in this case) to decide whether to make it public or keep it private. The final report, though, which should be published within a year of the accident, is made public. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Ahmedabad plane crash: What caused the crash? Engine failure, bird hit among several theories
MUMBAI: Two short videos surfaced after AI 171 crashed outside Ahmedabad airport - many questions followed, from those who have flown commercial airliners. On social media, pilots were asking: 1. Why was the aircraft landing gear not retracted? 2. Did the aircraft suffer a dual engine failure? 3. Did the engines die because of possible fuel contamination or blockage? 4. Were the flaps on the wings lowered for take-off? 5. Could a bird hit have contributed to the crash? The final investigation report into the AI-171 accident, set to be released before June 12 next year, will have a detailed analysis of probable causes and contributory factors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But for aviation professionals, the two videos offered many clues. "Within 5 secs of lift off, pilots normally put the landing gear up," said Capt Amit Singh, an air safety expert. Capt Manoj Hathi, ex-Air India official who has held posts of director (ops) and director (air-safety) said: "As soon as a positive rate of climb is reached, the landing gear is retracted." A lowered landing gear increases drag and fuel consumption, while reducing aircraft speed. Retracting the landing gear allows for a smooth aerodynamic flow helping the aircraft climb up. But the clips showed the landing gear extended even as the plane climbed to over 400 feet above ground. DGCA statement hints at dual engine failure | What could be the reason why AI-171 had not retracted its landing gear although it had climbed to a height of around 400 feet? "In case there is a distraction the pilots could forget to put the gear up. The distraction could be dual engine failure, bird hit or combination of both. The plume of dust as the aircraft crosses the runway end shows it was low on power and possibly a dual engine problem," said air safety expert Capt Amit Singh. Capt Manoj Hathi, a former AI official, said, "It's possible that a dual engine flame-out was the reason the landing gear could not be retracted. Dual engine failure could occur due to bird ingestion or fuel contamination. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Looking at the trajectory and body angle of the aircraft, it appears as if the aircraft has stalled because of loss of speed." Other pilots, who requested anonymity, too, spoke about dual engine failure and possible fuel contamination. The possibility of a dual engine failure is a rare event with about seven documented accidents in the past seven decades. DGCA in its statement said the pilots gave a MAYDAY call seconds after take-off, further supporting the theory that a dual engine failure occurred probably after the aircraft crossed the speed beyond which a take-off cannot be safely aborted. Video clips show the aircraft gliding and descending over a congested area chock-a-block with buildings. Seconds later, the aircraft nose is raised - AI-171's pilots were probably trying to keep the aircraft from crashing in a congested locality. But raising the nose results in loss of airspeed. The clip shows the aircraft disappear from view and crash. But even if the pilots had not pulled up the nose it would have continued to glide, descend and eventually crash, said Capt Singh. The other point was the flaps - aerodynamic devices that are lowered to increase lift on the wing. While some pilots said the flaps were not lowered as is the norm during take-off, others said the pictures show they were lowered. Investigation into aircraft accidents carried out by civil aviation authorities such as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) follow norms laid down in the International Civil Aviation Organisation's Annex 13. It states that the primary objective of an investigation should not be to assign blame, but to identify and prevent future similar incidents. Under Annex 13, a preliminary report should be ready within 30 days of the event. But ICAO leaves it to the state (India, in this case) to decide whether to make it public or keep it private. The final report, though, which should be published within a year of the accident, is made public.
