Kolkata: Former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (Retd) has said that there is no evidence so far to suggest there was sabotage behind Thursday’s air crash in Ahmedabad that took the lives of at least 275 people.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner definitely lost power at a critical stage and there was no time for recovery, the former Chief of the Air Staff said. This loss in power could have taken place due to fuel contamination or glitches in software and control systems, but sabotage is certainly not a possibility, he said.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an ICC event in Kolkata on Sunday, Raha urged all not to speculate but wait for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to complete its investigation.
“This is very sad, heartbreaking. So many people died together. As of now, it is very difficult to say what has gone wrong. Definitely there was loss of power and at a critical stage… you are transmitting from the ground into the air, your height is little. There is no time for recovery. And loss of engine power will result in a stall… (The aircraft) will then descend very rapidly and crash. And that is what has happened,” he said.
The IAF veteran, an ace fighter pilot during his service years, said engines of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner generate thrust and losing the power of both engines simultaneously is very rare – “may be one in a billion cases.”
“There might be a software issue, some problem in the control (system), fuel contamination… But I do not give any credence to the sabotage angle. The loss of power was an indication of some glitch. We should not make any wild claims till the DGCA and other agencies of the government complete the probe,” he said.
When asked about the role of the ground staff, he said they have to certify the weight an aircraft is carrying.
“Based on these inputs on the ground, the pilot takes off. You can’t add several kgs to the stipulated figures. But as I said investigations will unravel the reason and factors,” Raha said.
He also dismissed the possibility of a bird hit and referred to the red flags raised by Boeing employee Sam Salehpour about the 787-8 Dreamliners. “There were complaints made by whistleblowers from their own company. I think those need to be investigated,” Raha said.
