10 hours ago
'Technical issue' forces Air India Boeing 787 to turn back to Hong Kong
The Being 787 Dreamliner has flown commerically since 2011. Photo by Prime Studio , courtesy of The Boeing Co.,
June 16 (UPI) -- An Air India Boeing 787-8 flight headed for New Delhi returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff Monday because of a "technical issue," Indian Media reported.
The issue occurred just days after a similar Dreamliner crashed into buildings in Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing at least 279 people in the aircraft and on the ground. It was the first Dreamliner crash and only one passenger survived.
"A passenger flight, AI315, operated by Air India from Hong Kong to New Delhi made a return to Hong Kong International Airport and requested local standby at around 1p.m. today," a spokesperson for Airport Authority Hong Kong said.
Air India said in a statement that the plane returned to undergo checks "as a matter of abundant precaution."
Some aviation analysts believe the wing flaps on the plane that crashed were not in the correct position.
"It looked like the jet struggled to maintain lift," Dan Bubb, a longtime pilot and now airline historian at the University of Nevada.
"Some pilots have speculated that the flaps may not have been set to the takeoff position. Historically, there have been crashes when flaps weren't properly configured."
Authorities have ordered Air India to carry out more safety checks on all Boeing 787s. The Dreamliner has flown commercially since 2011.
