Latest news with #flight171
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
Against all odds — Seat 11A survivor escaped Air India crash from front, not the ‘statistically safer' rear
Vishwaskumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of Thursday's Air India flight 171 crash that killed 241 people, defied all odds to make it out alive. Remarkably, he escaped from the front of the aircraft—an area typically considered less safe than the rear in the event of a crash. Kumar, who is currently recovering from injuries in a local hospital, told DD News — 'The side of the plane I was on landed on the ground next to the hostel. When the door broke, I saw that there was space, and tried to get out. On the opposite side, there was the hostel, and I saw no one could leave from there. There was some space (to exit) only where I was (seated).' Row 11 on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner—the aircraft that crashed into a hostel for medical students in Ahmedabad—is located just behind an exit door on either side, with business class seats positioned ahead. Seat 11A, a window seat, is right next to the exit door, with a cabin crew seat facing it directly in front. 'It all happened before my eyes. I myself can't believe how I escaped alive. For some time, I also thought I'm going to die. However, when my eyes opened, I realised I'm alive. I removed my seat belt and tried to leave the plane. In front of me, an air hostess and some passengers were all dead,' Kumar said in the video interview. A confluence of factors would have resulted in Kumar coming out alive from the crash. Which is the safest seat in an aircraft and would 11A qualify? There is no clear answer. But the tail section is seen to be the safest from a statistical point of view. Kumar was seated just ahead of the wing box area, the projected part of the wing that is structurally stronger than the rest of the aircraft. The wings are loaded with jet fuel and likely exploded on impact. Being ahead by three rows would have helped. By sheer luck, the section of the aircraft where Kumar was seated struck the ground—unlike the tail, which lodged atop the hostel—and somewhat withstood the impact of the explosion. More importantly, an exit door immediately to his left, with open space outside, provided a clear path to escape, according to his testimony. Statistically, the front of the plane—where Kumar escaped from—is considered less safe than the rear. The Time magazine, in a 2015 study, analysed 35 years of crash data up to that year and reported that fewer people who were sitting in the back died in plane crashes. According to the study, seats in the back third of the aircraft had a 32 per cent fatality rate, compared with 39 per cent in the middle third, and 38 per cent in the front third. Looking at row position, the study found that the middle seats in the rear of the aircraft had the best outcomes (28 per cent fatality rate). The worst-faring seats were on the aisle in the middle third of the aircraft cabin (44 per cent fatality rate). In April 2012, a team of television studios staged an airplane crash in Mexico, where a Boeing 727-200 fitted with crash test dummies and other scientific instruments was flown into the ground. The test result showed that passengers at the front of an aircraft would be the ones most at risk in a crash, while those seated closer to the airplane's wings were reported as having suffered survivable injuries. The test dummies near the tail section were largely intact, so most passengers there would have likely walked away without serious injury. Another study, done by American popular science magazine Popular Mechanics in 2007, found that those seated behind the trailing edge of the aircraft wing had a survival rate of 69 per cent. It was 56 per cent for those in the middle section, and 49 per cent for the seats in the front of the plane. These statistical trends are very specific to the circumstances of the crash in question. In some crashes, such as when the tail hits the ground first, fatalities could be higher in the rear of the aircraft. In others, where the front or the middle of the aircraft bears the major brunt of the impact, those in the rear may have a better shot at surviving the accident. It is worth noting that the Time magazine study found that in a number of crashes, survival was random — 'those who perished were scattered irregularly between survivors'. The FAA has consistently stated that there is not any one section of an airplane that is more or less safe than another and that the most important thing passengers can do for their safety on any flight is follow crewmember instructions.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Ahmedabad plane crash: Two black boxes recovered. What will the probe focus on?
Two black boxes from the wreckage of the ill-fated Air India flight 171 were recovered on Friday as investigators intensified efforts to determine what transpired in those 33 seconds mid-air that caused India's deadliest aviation disaster in three decades. Experts have raised concerns of possible technical faults, crew miscalculations, and configuration errors in the Boeing 787-8 plane. One of the black boxes was retrieved from the rooftop of a hostel mess building near the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, where the Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 people on board. The second recorder was also located on Friday, and both are now being examined for clues, officials said. Follow Ahmedabad plane crash live updates. As experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) sifted through twisted metal and scorched debris, a team from Boeing joined the probe on-site. Parts of the aircraft's two General Electric GEnx engines are being sent to the United States for detailed analysis. The wreckage will be moved to a secure facility for reconstruction in collaboration with the AAIB, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and other agencies, an official familiar with the probe confirmed. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator, has meanwhile ordered targeted safety inspections of all Air India Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 jets. The inspections will focus on six critical systems — fuel parameters, fuel flow systems, electronic engine controls, hydraulic systems, and takeoff performance settings. 'The order by the DGCA seems to have indicated their suspicion of all that could have led to the B787-8 crash on Thursday,' said aviation expert Amit Singh. 'While the checks mentioned by the DGCA are all performed by the pilots before take-off, they are only a few of the total checks performed. This could imply the regulator may have learnt about snags or probable issues with the aircraft,' he added. Officials involved in the investigation told the Associated Press that early indications suggest the aircraft may not have been correctly configured for takeoff. The landing gear was still extended during ascent, and flap components were found strewn across nearby roads in what appeared to be an incorrect take-off setting — factors that may have deprived the aircraft of critical lift. 'We can see what we see on video and all of these potential issues we're talking about: fuel, engine thrust, settings for the flaps and slats. That's all going to be recorded on the flight data recorder,' AP quoted aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former US crash investigator, as saying. He added, 'The cockpit voice recorder will hopefully have the discussion between the crew on what kind of performance numbers are being put into the computer.' Guzzetti and others believe investigators are likely probing whether the engines lost power during takeoff, whether the aircraft's weight and environmental conditions were correctly input, and whether the crew made configuration errors in setting the flaps and slats. 'The image shows the airplane with the nose rising and it continuing to sink,'' noted John M. Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems and a former pilot. 'That says that the airplane is not making enough lift.'' Cox added: 'It's hard to tell but from looking at the aircraft from behind … it doesn't look like that the trailing edge flaps are in the position I would have expected them to be. But I'm very cautious that the image quality is not good enough to make that a conclusion. It's just an area where I know that they're going to look.'' According to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources, the probe is examining potential faults related to engine thrust, flap settings, and the unusual fact that the landing gear remained extended — though a bird-hit has been ruled out as a primary cause. Maintenance issues and crew inputs are also under review. While officials caution that it is too early to arrive at conclusions, the focus of the investigation is sharpening around a combination of mechanical failure and human error.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
IMA writes to Tata Group, seeks equal compensation for med students affected by crash
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat state branch of the Indian Medical Association (GSB-IMA) has written to N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, on Friday, demanding compensation for medical students affected by the Air India flight 171 crash, similar to that announced for passengers. In its letter, the GSB-IMA appreciated Air India's gesture of offering Rs 1 crore compensation to the families of passengers who died in the tragedy and funding the renovation of the BJMC college hostel. "We humbly request you to also consider extending financial assistance and necessary support to the medical students present at the crash site who were injured or lost their lives in this unfortunate event," the letter states. Signed by Dr Mehul Shah, president of GSB-IMA and other office-bearers, it further adds, "These individuals were not only victims but also future pillars of our healthcare system, and their well-being and families deserve similar care and support. " 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 .
India Today
13 hours ago
- India Today
Black box recovered from Air India crash site, DGCA issues new safety norms for Air India Boeing Dreamliners
The recovery of the black box from the Air India flight 171 crash site in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the death of 241 people, is the main focus. Investigators are analysing the wreckage and evidence to determine the cause of the crash, with considerations of a possible double engine failure. The lone survivor, a 45-year-old British national named Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, described his miraculous escape as his seat fell off during the crash. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and met with injured victims at the hospital. The black box is expected to provide crucial data on cockpit conversations and mechanical parameters, with investigators set to analyse over 1000 parameters to ascertain the cause. In response, DGCA has issued new safety inspection norms for Boeing 787 aircraft.
NBC News
16 hours ago
- General
- NBC News
The extraordinary escape of the lone surviving passenger of the Air India crash
The survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash Thursday revealed he miraculously survived by escaping through a broken emergency exit. There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London, that crashed shortly after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, smashing in a fiery blast into a medical college hostel, killing and injuring more people on the ground. It was the worst aviation disaster in a decade. Ramesh Viswashkumar, 40, was the sole passenger to survive. 'I can't explain. Everything was happening in my eye. I can't explain,' Viswashkumar, a British national of Indian origin, told DD News, an Indian state-owned broadcaster Friday. Police said Viswashkumar was sat in seat 11A, near the emergency exit. Viswashkumar, visibly cut up from the crash, said he was able to escape moments before the blast when the emergency door broke. 'Emergency door is broken. My seat is broken. Then I see the space a little bit and I will try to come out,' he told DD News. He was able to get out as the aircraft caught fire. 'Little bit of fire, after I'm out, then blast,' he recalled. Footage of the crash showed a massive ball of fire as the plane's full fuel tanks exploded, filling the sky with thick black smoke. The survivability is 'extremely limited' in plane crashes like the one that happened in Ahmedabad yesterday, Trevor Bock, a safety consultant at Aviation Safety Asia said. A large, heavy aircraft will be torn apart by the enormous amount of energy it carries as the plane hits the ground, he said. 'We're talking thousands of kilograms of weight,' adding that the plane, which has just taken off, had 'a lot of fuel.'
