What is known about the Air India crash and its investigation
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Air India flight crashes after takeoff, sole survivor found: Is flying safe?
An Air India Boeing 787 crashed after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India, killing an unknown number of the people on board. The cause of the crash is currently unknown and is under investigation by Indian authorities. It’s too soon to know what caused the crash; investigations into major aviation incidents often take weeks or months to release initial findings, and a final analysis can take a year or more. Despite this incident, flying remains statistically the safest mode of transportation. The flight was helmed by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who reportedly had over 8,000 hours of flying experience. The co-pilot had over 1,100 hours logged flying time, according to CNN. The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian, Air India said. It’s not clear what role, if any, the plane type played in the Air India crash on Thursday, but the provenance of an aircraft is not always a factor.
AI-assisted summary An Air India Boeing 787 crashed after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India, killing an unknown number of the people on board.
The cause of the crash is currently unknown and is under investigation by Indian authorities.
Despite this incident, flying remains statistically the safest mode of transportation.
Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday. The 11-year-old Boeing 787 was carrying 220 passengers and 12 crew and was bound for Gatwick Airport in London.
Indian authorities did not immediately release details about casualties, but a video in local media showed people being carried away from the wreckage on stretchers.
What happened to the Air India flight?
It’s too soon to know what caused the crash. Investigations into major aviation incidents often take weeks or months to release initial findings, and a final analysis can take a year or more.
Because the incident happened on Indian soil and involved an Indian airline, local authorities in India will lead the investigation. However, representatives from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will likely be party to the inquiry because the Boeing aircraft involved was manufactured in the U.S.
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Still, all official updates as the investigation unfolds will likely come from Indian authorities.
Were there survivors in the Air India crash?
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, appears to be the sole survivor.
G.S. Malik, Ahmedabad’s police chief, told Indian news media that Ramesh may have survived what no one else did. However, local officials have not yet definitively concluded that everyone aboard the jet was killed.
Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. He said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground.
Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said.
A source told Reuters that the passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian, Air India said.
Is flying safe?
Yes. Flying remains the safest way to travel.
Thursday’s incident is the first ever hull loss of a Boeing 787 since the plane type entered service in 2011.
While images of aviation disasters are harrowing, statistically speaking, major fatal airline accidents are extremely rare and the industry prioritizes learning from each one to make flying ever safer.
Nervous flyers can book a call with Dial A Pilot to “partner with a real airline pilot to learn the truth behind how safe aviation really is.”
Are pilot standards different abroad than those in the US?
Yes. Countries have some leeway to set their own pilot training standards, and the U.S. has the highest threshold for minimum flight hours in the world.
That said, India is a huge market for aviation and is generally regarded as a safe country for flying.
The flight was helmed by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who reportedly had over 8,000 hours of flying experience. The co-pilot had over 1,100 hours logged flying time, according to CNN.
What type of plane crashed in India?
It was a Boeing 787-8 widebody aircraft.
Is it another Boeing crash?
While a Boeing aircraft was involved in the Air India crash on Thursday, it’s not clear what role, if any, the plane type played in the incident. Aviation disasters almost always have multiple causes, but the provenance of an aircraft is not always a factor.
Recent major aviation disasters
▶ 2025 – U.S.
More than 60 people were killed when an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided on January 29 and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
▶ 2024 – South Korea
Jeju Air international flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024, killing all 175 passengers and four of the six crew in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
▶ Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan Airlines international flight J2-8243, an Embraer E190, crashed on December 25 after being diverted from Russia to Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said in December the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia. Moscow has not confirmed this.
▶ Japan
A Japan Airlines plane collided with a smaller Coast Guard aircraft on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda airport on January 2. All 379 people aboard the JAL plane, an Airbus A350-900 flight, escaped the burning airliner. Five of six crew on the smaller aircraft were killed.
▶ 2022 – China
A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into a mountainous region in the southwestern Guangxi region on March 21, 2022, killing all 132 people on board, in China’s deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years.
▶ 2020 – Iran
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shot down a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 on Jan. 8, 2020, shortly after it took off from Tehran Airport, killing all 176 people on board. Iran’s civil aviation body blamed a misaligned radar and an error by an air defense operator.
▶ 2019 – Ethiopia
▶ A Boeing 737-MAX 8 Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed on March 19, 2019, minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa for Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board.
Soon after, the Boeing 737 MAX global fleet was grounded over safety concerns.
▶ 2018 – Indonesia
A Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air plane crashed into the Java Sea soon after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people on board.
▶ 2014 – Malaysia
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. All 298 passengers on board were killed.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The remains of the Boeing 777 and the 239 people have not been found.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Reuters
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
What is known about the Air India crash and its investigation
CCTV video shows the takeoff and crash of the plane from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad city, western Gujarat state. It took roughly 33 seconds from wheels-up for the plane to crash, erupting into a huge fireball. The Boeing BA 787 Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and experts say it has a generally strong safety record, with no previous fatal accidents. The pilots issued a “mayday” call to air traffic controllers at 1:39 pm local time on Thursday. When officials tried to communicate, the pilots did not respond. The plane started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet. It then crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel nearby, killing at least 270 people.
The Boeing BA 787 Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and experts say it has a generally strong safety record, with no previous fatal accidents.
Here’s what is known about the air crash so far:
VISUAL EVIDENCE
One of the strongest pieces of evidence that investigators are reviewing is a 59-second CCTV video clip that clearly shows the takeoff and the crash of the plane from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad city, western Gujarat state.
The CCTV camera was located on the far left of the runway near a wall with barbed wire.
The video shows that the Tata Group-owned Air India plane takes off, gains some altitude, flies flat for a couple of seconds, and then starts descending with its tail down.
The descent of the plane starts roughly 17 seconds after takeoff. There is no fire visible around the engine or elsewhere when the plane appears to start going down, and has already crossed the airport boundary wall.
The landing gear visibly remains open throughout the clip.
It took roughly 33 seconds from wheels-up for the plane to crash, erupting into a huge fireball.
WHERE DID THE PLANE FALL
The Indian aviation ministry said the pilots issued a “mayday” call to air traffic controllers at 1:39 pm local time on Thursday. When officials tried to communicate, the pilots did not respond.
The plane started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet. It then crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel nearby.
Images of the dining area shortly after the incident showed wheels and other parts of the aircraft embedded in the walls, while debris and belongings of the students, including clothes and books, lay scattered on the floor.
Steel tumblers and plates still containing food lay on the few tables that were left intact.
A strong stench of jet fuel hung in the air at the site on Friday, as authorities used cranes to remove charred trees and debris.
POSSIBLE CAUSES
Air India officials and scores of Indian government investigators have been at the crash site since Thursday. No initial findings have been disclosed so far, but investigators are considering at least three key possible issues, according to a source with direct knowledge.
Investigators are assessing if there are any issues related to engine thrust, which is the force produced by the engine to push it forward through the air. Investigators are also looking at any possible operational issues with flaps. Anti-terror squads have also been part of the investigation teams.
Officials are also assessing why was the landing gear was open for so long after takeoff. A possible bird strike is not a focus of the probe.
The source added that officials are also looking at any possible fault of Air India, including any possible maintenance issues.
WHERE’S THE BLACK BOX?
India’s aviation ministry has said investigators and rescue workers recovered the digital flight data recorder – one of the two black boxes on the plane – from the rooftop of the building on which the jet crashed.
There was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which is also crucial to the probe.
India’s aviation regulator has conducted additional maintenance actions on Air India’s Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including “one-time check” of the take-off parameters before the departure of every flight from midnight of June 15.
The airline has also been asked to conduct electronic engine control tests and engine fuel related checks.
How the devastating Air India to London plane crash unfolded and what could have caused it
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed from Ahmedabad airport at 1.39pm local time (8.09am BST) Five minutes later, the plane crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar. The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who had been sitting in seat 11A, was identified by local police shortly after the crash. Flight AI171 had been travelling to London Gatwick. British and US transport authorities have confirmed they are both helping to investigate the crash and are working with Indian aviation authorities. The temperature in Ahmedabad went over 40C on Thursday and the thinner air would have made take-off more difficult, requiring higher flap settings and greater engine thrust, experts said. The plane was only briefly airborne before crashing close to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board the plane. They included 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, Air India said. It is still unclear what had caused the crash, poor maintenance, engine failure as well as the weather were being suggested as the reasons.
A British national was the sole survivor after an Air India flight bound for London crashed with 242 people on board in India on Thursday.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed from Ahmedabad airport in the western state of Gujarat at 1.39pm local time (8.09am BST). But after issuing a mayday call, it crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar just five minutes after taking off, India’s civil aviation authority confirmed.
Images and videos from the city showed plumes of smoke pouring from the wreckage of the plane as firefighters tried to douse the charred remains of buildings impacted by the crash.
Investigators had located one of the two black boxes from the wreckage, Hindustan Times reported. The recovered box was from the rear of the plane and a search was on for the second box from the front of the aircraft.
Indian civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Thursday night that a formal investigation had been initiated. British and US transport authorities have confirmed they are both helping to investigate the crash.
The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who had been sitting in seat 11A, was identified by local police shortly after the crash.
Click here for the latest updates on the disaster.
open image in gallery Huge clouds of smoke can be seen from the airport ( AFPTV )
Here is everything we know about the crash so far:
What happened prior to the Air India crash?
After taking off from Ahmedabad airport at 1.39pm local time, the flight made a mayday call to air traffic control.
But there was no response to subsequent calls made by controllers to the aircraft, Indian aviation authorities reported.
According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, the signal from the plane was lost “less than a minute after take-off”. Five minutes later, the plane crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar.
Police later confirmed that 240 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. It was unclear how many of them were people from the plane and how many victims on the ground.
What route had the plane been taking?
Flight AI171 had been travelling to London Gatwick.
But flight tracking data showed the plane was only briefly airborne before crashing close to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
What caused the crash?
While it was still unclear what had caused the crash, poor maintenance, a bird strike, engine failure as well as the weather were being suggested as the reasons.
The temperature in Ahmedabad went over 40C on Thursday and the thinner air would have made take-off more difficult, requiring higher flap settings and greater engine thrust, experts told the BBC and the New York Times.
Improper flap extension during take-off could prevent a heavily loaded jet carrying passengers, long-haul fuel and operating in hot conditions from generating enough lift to get airborne.
A former pilot told the BBC that footage of the airplane was not clear enough to determine if the flaps were correctly extended, but such an error would be “highly unusual”. Moreover, he said, incorrect flap settings would have set off warnings.
But Richard Curran, professor of sustainable aviation at City, University of London, said he had been told by multiple sources that the pilots issued a malfunction warning prior to the crash.
Prof Curran, who previously spent 12 years as KLM’s chair of engineering and maintenance, told The Independent: “They actually registered a malfunction. So that means they had a technical problem”, adding: “So it was not a pilot error.”
And he dismissed suggestions that multiple bird strikes could have caused dual engine failure, saying: “These these pilots are extremely well trained. They’re trained for bird strike. It’s one of the basic things that you go through in simulator training as a pilot.”
Who was on board the plane?
There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members onboard the aircraft. They included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, Air India said.
open image in gallery Firefighters work at the site of the plane crash ( AP )
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a line training captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours.
There were 10 other crew members on board, civil aviation authorities said.
The MP for Leicester East said she understood “a handful of Leicester residents” were onboard the crashed flight.
Shivani Raja told BBC News that her community, which has a high population of British-Gujaratis, were “all really horrified and devastated waking up to such tragic news”.
Who survived the crash?
Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on the flight did not survive. A British national was the only person on board to miraculously escape with minor injuries.
It was unclear how many people inside the building that the plane crashed into had died.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was sat in seat 11A and walked away from the crash unaided with minor injuries.
His family confirmed his survival, and the BBC said his name was confirmed in the flight manifest shared by the authorities.
According to Hindustan Times, he said: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
open image in gallery Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told Indian media he was on the Air India flight that crashed ( Handout )
Mr Ramesh, who has lived in the UK with his wife and child for 20 years, was in India for a few days to visit family, according to the Indian outlet.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,” Hindustan Times reported him as saying. “Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
His brother, Ajay, was also on the flight.
open image in gallery Police stand guard near wreckage at the site after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad ( AFP via Getty Images )
Medical college hostel struck
The aircraft crashed into a hostel building at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital. “The plane was flying very low before it crashed,” eyewitness Haresh Shah told local news agency PTI. “As it crashed into the building, the sound was like a blast and the plane and the building caught fire.”
College dean Minakshi Parikh told reporters that four students living in the hostel had died and 19 were injured.
“Two third-year students are untraceable. A doctor’s wife was also killed while two relatives of other doctors were injured. Three members of a doctor’s family went missing after the incident,” she said.
Dhaval Gameti, president of the resident doctors’ association at the college, said 50-60 people had been injured.
Footage from the scene showed aircraft debris in the hostel’s dining area, with some tables left with uneaten food on the plates.
open image in gallery Plume of smoke rising after Air India flight 171 crashes near airport in Ahmedabad ( AFPTV )
What is known about the Boeing aircraft?
The plane involved was a Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” delivered to Air India in 2014. This was the first fatal incident involving the 787.
Soon after the Dreamliner entered service in 2011, concerns over fire risk from lithium batteries led to a temporary grounding. But there was no indication yet that the crash was connected to any technical issues onboard the aircraft.
More than 1,000 Boeing 787 aircraft are in service with dozens of international airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, both of which have exemplary safety records.
The aircraft is described by the US manufacturer as “the bestselling passenger widebody of all time” with some 2,000 orders from 89 customers.
The planes have carried more than one billion passengers on nearly five million flights.
open image in gallery The plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ( Getty/iStock )
When was the last plane crash in India?
The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2020 and involved the airline’s low-budget arm Air India Express.
The Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at the Kozhikode International Airport in southern India, skidded off and plunged into a valley, crashing nose-first into the ground.
The crash killed at least 21 people.
Where can I find out information about the victims?
Air India has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information.
“Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,” the airline said.
The airline has also set up assistance centres for friends and relatives at the airports in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gatwick to “provide support and take care of the needs of the families and loved ones”.
The centres are also facilitating travel for family members to Ahmedabad, it said on X.
Additional reporting by agencies.
What is known about the Air India crash and its investigation
CCTV video clip clearly shows the takeoff and the crash of the plane from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad city, western Gujarat state. Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and experts say it has a generally strong safety record. Investigators are considering at least three key possible issues, according to a source with direct knowledge. A strong stench of jet fuel hung in the air at the site on Friday, as authorities used cranes to remove charred trees and debris from the crash site in Gujarat state, India. The Indian aviation ministry said the pilots issued a “mayday” call to air traffic controllers at 1:39 pm local time on Thursday. The plane started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet. It then crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel nearby.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Air India’s deadly plane crash that killed at least 270 people has triggered a wave of speculation about what led to the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade, but authorities are slowly narrowing down areas of investigation.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and experts say it has a generally strong safety record, with no previous fatal accidents.
Here’s what is known about the air crash so far:
VISUAL EVIDENCE
One of the strongest pieces of evidence that investigators are reviewing is a 59-second CCTV video clip that clearly shows the takeoff and the crash of the plane from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad city, western Gujarat state.
The CCTV camera was located on the far left of the runway near a wall with barbed wire.
The video shows that the Tata Group-owned Air India plane takes off, gains some altitude, flies flat for a couple of seconds, and then starts descending with its tail down.
The descent of the plane starts roughly 17 seconds after takeoff. There is no fire visible around the engine or elsewhere when the plane appears to start going down, and has already crossed the airport boundary wall.
The landing gear visibly remains open throughout the clip.
It took roughly 33 seconds from wheels-up for the plane to crash, erupting into a huge fireball.
WHERE DID THE PLANE FALL
The Indian aviation ministry said the pilots issued a “mayday” call to air traffic controllers at 1:39 pm local time on Thursday. When officials tried to communicate, the pilots did not respond.
The plane started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet. It then crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel nearby.
Images of the dining area shortly after the incident showed wheels and other parts of the aircraft embedded in the walls, while debris and belongings of the students, including clothes and books, lay scattered on the floor.
Steel tumblers and plates still containing food lay on the few tables that were left intact.
A strong stench of jet fuel hung in the air at the site on Friday, as authorities used cranes to remove charred trees and debris.
POSSIBLE CAUSES
Air India officials and scores of Indian government investigators have been at the crash site since Thursday. No initial findings have been disclosed so far, but investigators are considering at least three key possible issues, according to a source with direct knowledge.
Investigators are assessing if there are any issues related to engine thrust, which is the force produced by the engine to push it forward through the air. Investigators are also looking at any possible operational issues with flaps. Anti-terror squads have also been part of the investigation teams.
Officials are also assessing why was the landing gear was open for so long after takeoff. A possible bird strike is not a focus of the probe.
The source added that officials are also looking at any possible fault of Air India, including any possible maintenance issues.
WHERE’S THE BLACK BOX?
India’s aviation ministry has said investigators and rescue workers recovered the digital flight data recorder – one of the two black boxes on the plane – from the rooftop of the building on which the jet crashed.
There was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which is also crucial to the probe.
India’s aviation regulator has conducted additional maintenance actions on Air India’s Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including “one-time check” of the take-off parameters before the departure of every flight from midnight of June 15.
The airline has also been asked to conduct electronic engine control tests and engine fuel related checks.
(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Stephen Coates and Louise Heavens)
By Aditya Kalra
What Caused the Air India Plane Crash? Here’s What Investigators Are Examining.
India Plane Crash: What Investigators Might Examine Atul Loke for The New York Times.Here are some questions that investigators hope to answer in days and weeks ahead, according to aviation safety experts. Were the wing flaps and slats properly extended?Thursday’s crash occurred moments after the plane departed the airport in Ahmedabad, India. A short, blurry video showed what appeared to be the start of a routine takeoff. But soon after leaving the ground, the plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, began to descend before crashing and exploding. Was there some kind of mechanical failure that prevented the pilots from extending those parts? Even if the slats and flaps were extended, it would be difficult to know if they were appropriately deployed because they can be configured differently for different situations. Was the landing gear down? Experts said the pilots may not have retracted the gear for a number of reasons, including a mechanical problem that prevented them from lifting it. If something else had gone wrong, the pilots might have focused on addressing that first, experts said.
Investigators have begun sorting through the wreckage of Thursday’s plane crash in India, the nation’s deadliest in three decades. It could take months before a definitive explanation emerges, but videos of the accident and other evidence have begun to offer clues about what may have brought down the Air India flight, killing more than 260 people.
Here are some questions that investigators hope to answer in days and weeks ahead, according to aviation safety experts.
Were the wing flaps and slats properly extended?
Thursday’s crash occurred moments after the plane departed the airport in Ahmedabad, India. A short, blurry video showed what appeared to be the start of a routine takeoff, aviation safety experts said. But soon after leaving the ground, the plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, began to descend before crashing and exploding.
Boeing 787 Flaps Slats Flaps and slats extended for takeoff No flaps or slats deployed Boeing 787 Flaps Slats Flaps and slats extended for takeoff No flaps or slats deployed The New York Times
At its most basic, the crash reflected a failure to meet the fundamental requirements of flight. To fly, a plane needs to generate enough lift to overcome gravity and enough thrust to overcome the air’s resistance, known as drag. The flight on Thursday seemed to fail on both accounts.
“There appeared to be an issue with the thrust and there appeared to be an issue with the lift,” said Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation safety consultant. “And we unfortunately saw what the result was.”
When an airplane takes off, flaps at the rear of the wing and slats at the front are typically extended to provide more surface area to create more lift as the plane gains speed.
“Just given the fact that this was a takeoff accident, begs the question regarding the settings of the wing slats and flaps, which is critical for taking off in a big jet that’s fully loaded with fuel,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.
It was not clear whether those flaps and slats were properly extended. If they weren’t, experts said, investigators will want to know why. Did the pilots choose not to extend them or fail to do so? Was there some kind of mechanical failure that prevented the pilots from extending those parts? Even if the slats and flaps were extended, it would be difficult to know if they were appropriately deployed because they can be configured differently for different situations. It’s also possible that they were extended but retracted too soon.
“The video is just too grainy, but that is something that’s clearly recorded in the flight data recorder,” said Mr. Guzzetti. “So hopefully, the recorders will tell the tale.”
Why was the landing gear down?
Deployed landing gear on a Boeing 787 Deployed landing gear on a Boeing 787 The New York Times
The video shows that the landing gear remained extended throughout the plane’s ascent and descent, which experts described as unusual. Landing gear creates drag, so retracting it is typically one of the first actions a plane’s pilots take after the plane is off the ground.
Source: Newsflare, via Associated Press The New York Times
But experts said the pilots may not have retracted the gear for a number of reasons. A mechanical problem may have prevented the pilots from lifting the landing gear, for example. Or the pilots may have been preoccupied with another, more pressing problem.
“The airplane will climb fine leaving the gear down,” said Shawn Pruchnicki, a former accident investigator at the Air Line Pilots Association and an assistant professor of aviation safety at Ohio State University. If something else had gone wrong in the plane, the pilots may have focused on addressing that first, he said: “You have bells and alarms going off — there’s all kinds of stuff happening.”
Were there engine problems?
Engines provide thrust and investigators will want to know if they failed for any reason. An engine breakdown sometimes comes with telltale signs — smoke, fire, a flash — but experts said none of those are clearly apparent in the blurry videos of the crash.
One video shows what appears to be a dust cloud shortly after the plane leaves the ground. That could have been caused by an engine or it could have been caused by the wingtips disturbing the air, experts said.
Source: Reuters The New York Times
Planes are designed to fly with just one engine, a situation that commercial airline pilots train for “excessively,” Mr. Pruchnicki said, adding that he believed the 787 Dreamliner probably didn’t experience a single engine failure, but both engines could have malfunctioned.
If that were the case, it would have happened at the “absolute worst time,” said Mr. Pruchnicki. A double engine failure occurring shortly after takeoff, when the plane was only several hundred feet off the ground, would have left the pilots without sufficient time to respond to the emergency.
“You can’t manage a double engine failure that close to the ground,” he said, recalling the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson,” when a US Airways jetliner landed in the Hudson River after the aircraft lost power in both engines after striking a flock of birds. “These guys were in a residential area, a business area. They had no place to go either. There was no field to set it down gently. So, unfortunately, they ended up in buildings.”
A failure of both engines could have many causes: a bird or drone strike, inadvertent fuel shut-off, issues with automated thrust management. There is no evidence that these problems played a role in Thursday’s crash.
“There’s easily a hundred different explanations of possibilities,” Mr. Pruchnicki said. Analyzing the flight data recorder and inspecting the engine itself would provide an “unbelievably forensic” look at what happened, he added.
What was happening in the flight deck?
Investigators will also probably be sharply focused on what unfolded in the flight deck, or cockpit, before the crash.
There were two pilots on the Air India flight, which is typical in commercial aviation, with one pilot in charge of flying and the other providing support, monitoring the plane’s various systems. Were those duties split appropriately? What were the pilots saying to one another? And did they perform their jobs adequately?
Planes are also equipped with various warning systems to alert pilots of problems. Investigators will want to know if those warning systems worked as intended.
“Did they get the warning that they were supposed to receive or were they misconfigured? If they didn’t get a warning, then why? If they did, what did the crew do when they heard it?” said Mr. Guzzetti.
What other sources of evidence are there?
Investigators will also be on the hunt for more evidence.
Typically, they scour and analyze wreckage for clues and collect testimony from witnesses, such as airport personnel who may have seen the crash. They will also look for additional videos.
But their most important task will be recovering the wealth of technical information and audio recordings contained in the plane’s black boxes: a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder.
“Once they have that information, it will help focus the investigation into specific areas,” said John Cox, a former airline pilot and chief executive of Safety Operating Systems, a consulting firm. “So right now, it’s about gathering of documentation and evidence and keeping an open mind.”