Page 4 - The Indian EYE 062025

COVER STORY JUNE 20, 2025 | The Indian Eye 4

FLIGHT AI-171

CRASH SHAKES

INDIA

As investigators dig through the wreckage of Air India’s 787 Dreamliner,

the country grapples with grief, unanswered questions,
and renewed scrutiny of aviation safety.

OUR BUREAU
Ahmedabad/New Delhi/New York
he crash of Air India flight AI-
171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamlin-
Ter en route to London Gatwick
from Ahmedabad, has left a deep
scar on India’s national psyche. The
aircraft went down shortly after take-
off on June 12, killing 241 of the 242
people onboard, including former
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
A lone survivor, Vishwashkumar Ra-
mesh, miraculously escaped the infer-
no, but the larger questions now fac-
ing the nation, and the global aviation
community, go beyond the tragedy of
lives lost.

The Investigation
ithin hours of the crash, a
multi-agency investigation
Wwas launched. The Air-
craft Accident Investigation Bureau
(AAIB), the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA), and forensic
teams from the Gujarat State Gov- Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Air India AI-171 flight crash site, in Ahmedabad on Friday (DD/ANI Photo)
ernment converged on the site. The
involvement of the National Investi- tary footage. Investigators from the who has flown both the Boeing 777 er flight aboard the same aircraft.
gation Agency (NIA), India’s premier US Federal Aviation Administration and 787, suggested that improper flap Akash Vatsa, who flew from Delhi
counter-terror force, signaled that au- (FAA) and Boeing’s home agencies deployment may have played a role. to Ahmedabad just hours before the
thorities were not ruling out any pos- are prepared to join the probe if re- “The aircraft looked as though crash, noticed the rear flaps moving
sibility, including sabotage. quested, as per international aviation it had no lift,” Steve said in a wide- erratically and an air-conditioning
The black box—the Digital norms. ly circulated video analysis. “If flaps system malfunction. Though not de-
Flight Data Recorder (DFDR)—was were accidentally retracted instead of finitive, these signs have raised con-
recovered from the rooftop of a near- Possible Causes landing gear, or not deployed at all, cerns about the aircraft’s readiness
by building. It is expected to offer the aircraft could have stalled within and pre-flight checks.
crucial insights into the aircraft’s final hough no final verdict has been seconds.” Visual evidence indicated Fuel contamination, bird strikes,
moments, including flap positions, issued, a number of theories that the landing gear remained down and engine failure are also being con-
airspeed, engine thrust, and pilot Tare under consideration. Pre- unusually long, increasing drag and sidered, though Captain Steve not-
inputs. A separate Digital Video Re- liminary speculation suggests a cata- complicating lift-off. ed that the engines appeared to be
corder (DVR) found in the wreckage strophic loss of lift shortly after take- Adding weight to this theory is functioning normally just before the
is also being analyzed for supplemen- off. Aviation expert Captain Steve, a passenger’s report from an earli- Continued on next page... >>

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