Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad tragedy is not the first plane crash of such a massive proportion. But Thursday’s accident is not a common one either.
For starters, Air India flight AI-171, headed for London Gatwick, came down within minutes of taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport. Having departed at 1.38 pm, the plane had climbed a mere 625 feet before dramatically and quickly losing altitude and landing on hostel buildings of BJ Medical College.
Though Boeing aircraft have had safety issues in recent years, this was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane which has had a 100% safety record since it was rolled out in December 2009.
So what caused the crash of the first-ever Dreamliner aircraft?
According to some aviation experts, a bird hit may have prevented the Air India flight from achieving optimum speed for take-off which led to the crash after the loss of power.
“It looks, prima facie, like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines lost power. The take-off was perfect and I believe just short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift. Obviously, the investigation will reveal the exact reason,” former senior pilot Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar told NDTV.
“From the footage, it seems that the take-off was uneventful. The aircraft came down in a controlled fashion. The pilot had given the Mayday call, which means that it was a distress situation,” he observed.
Sanjay Lazar, another aviation expert, concurred.
“That would explain why the aircraft did not have the power to lift. If there were multiple bird hits on take-off, it probably could not have gone beyond the 6-7 minute threshold and started falling. Let’s also remember it’s a reasonably new aircraft, it’s only 11 years old, so it’s not like it had technical issues,” Lazar said.
“This is a residential area beyond the airport. Possibly, there were birds in the area. Let’s wait for more details to come out, but this is probably one of the key factors involved,” he added.
According to aviation expert Mirza Faizan, the crash could have been the result of technical snag due to issues in the propulsion system, possibly engine failure or fuel system problems.
Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor told India Today highlighted factors like bird ingestion and urban development near airports as potential contributors to disasters like Thursday’s.
Another possible factor could be incorrect take-off configuration.
“The pilots appeared to struggle to maintain climb before issuing a Mayday call. The aircraft then descended rapidly and crashed outside the airport perimeter,” a source in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
There were 242 people on board the Dreamliner — 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots – comprising 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, a Canadian and 7 Portuguese.
PM Modi ‘stunned’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he was “stunned” by the tragedy.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected,” Modi wrote on X.
