Air India Delhi-Vienna Flight Plunged 900 Feet Mid-Air, Days After Ahmedabad Crash
An Air India flight took off from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for Vienna on June 14. However, soon after takeoff, it lost altitude - the plane dropped 900 feet mid-air. Both pilots have now been off-rostered pending the outcome of the investigation, the airline said. The incident happened two days after an Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff, killing all but one person on board.
The action was taken after the matter was disclosed to the aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in "accordance with regulations", Air India said in a statement.
"Upon receipt of the pilot's report, the matter was disclosed to DGCA in accordance with regulations. Subsequently, upon receipt of data from the aircraft's recorders, further investigation was initiated. The pilots have been off-rostered pending the outcome of the investigation," an Air India spokesperson.
The Boeing 777 landed safely in Vienna after a flight of 9 hours and 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary panel led by JDU MP Sanjay Jha is all set to review recent air crashes and also manpower gaps in the aviation sector. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, chaired by Mr Jha, will meet on June 23 to take up aviation safety as a top priority, in the wake of the Ahmedabad Air India crash and the recent helicopter accident in Uttarakhand, sources told NDTV.
Ahmedabad Plane Crash
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed moments after takeoff from India's Ahmedabad city on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and several people on the ground.
The black boxes of the plane - the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) - were recovered in the days that followed, one from the rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13, and the other from the debris on June 16.
A preliminary probe report on the Air India crash is expected to be released by July 11. The report will be crucial as it may provide the possible causes of the fatal crash.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
More remains of 16 victims of Air India crash recovered in Gujarat
The charred remains of 16 victims of the June 12 Air India crash have been recovered and identified, officials said on Friday, adding that these have been returned to families of six of the victims. More remains of 16 victims of Air India crash recovered in Gujarat The toll from the crash remains unchanged at 260, the officials said, with 241 passengers and crew and the victims on the ground where the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed. 'Of the 16 recently recovered mortal remains, families of six victims have accepted the bodies for final rites. Nine families have requested hospital authorities to conduct the final ceremonies on their behalf. We are still attempting to contact one family regarding the handover process,' said an official at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. While authorities handed over the remains of the 260 victims to their families after DNA identification, the recovery operation at the site on continued over the last three weeks. 'The identification of the body parts recently recovered, mainly bones, is being done at Ahmedabad FSL and it takes about 48 to 72 hours for successful DNA matching,' a second official said. A London-bound Air India flight crashed into a hostel complex in the Meghaninagar area moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here on June 12, killing 241 on board and several others on the ground. One passenger, Viswashkumar Ramesh, miraculously survived.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India rejects claims Ahmedabad crash survivors' kin coerced into signing documents
Air India on Friday denied allegations that it coerced families of victims from the AI-171 crash into signing documents about their financial dependency on the deceased in an attempt to reduce compensation payouts. Wreckage of the Air India flight at the crash site in Ahmedabad. (Bloomberg) The airline called the claims 'unsubstantiated and inaccurate', saying it takes 'such accusations incredibly seriously' because the 'support and welfare of the families impacted by this tragic incident is our number one priority'. The controversy emerged following a report in The Guardian in which aviation lawyer Peter Neenan, who represents families of the crash victims, accused the airline of 'ethically outrageous' behaviour towards bereaved relatives. Neenan, a partner at UK law firm Stewarts that has represented families in major airline disasters including MH17 and MH370, claimed the airline's treatment of grief-stricken families could save it at least £100m by under-compensating families. The report quoted Neenan as alleging that relatives arriving to identify their loved ones' remains in the days after the June 12 crash were put in a 'small, crowded room' in intense heat with other bereaved families and told to fill out documentation and a complicated questionnaire asking for important financial information. The families were not given any warning, legal advice or a copy of the documents, Neenan said. Some families have told him that Air India officials followed up with visits to their homes and asked why they had not yet completed the forms. One relative, whose mother was killed in the crash, told The Guardian: 'The conditions where they asked us to complete the questionnaire were unacceptable, in a crowded hot corridor with unsuitable chairs and desks. There was no privacy whatsoever.' The family member added: 'Air India should have done this in a more professional and compassionate manner and asked all families to seek legal advice before proceeding. However, it was implied that if we did not complete the questionnaire and submit documents then no compensation would be paid.' Imtiaz Ali, brother of deceased passenger Javed Ali Syed, told HT he filled the form online and sent it to Air India officials via email. 'I fail to understand why the income and occupation details were required. I have filled the form but there would be many others who would face difficulty in finding such details. Also, we haven't so far received the interim compensation from Air India,' he said, adding that his brother's luggage and belongings have yet to be handed over to him. Air India clarified that the request for financial information was part of a standard process to ensure that interim compensation reached the rightful beneficiaries promptly. 'Efforts are being made by the airlines to process the payment of the interim compensation (also referred to as advance compensation) as soon as possible, to meet the immediate financial needs of affected family members, with the first payments having been made within days of the accident. However, Air India cannot process these payments in an information vacuum,' the airline stated. The carrier said it sought basic information to establish family relationships to ensure advance payments are received by those entitled to them. In an internal message to employees, Air India chief executive and managing director Campbell Wilson said the carrier has paid compensation to families of nearly two-thirds of the victims. 'Our teams have been helping families receive interim compensation. Every affected family is being directly assisted by an Air India representative, with nearly two-thirds having already received payment or are in the final stages,' Wilson told airline employees. Air India parent company Tata Sons announced it will provide ₹1 crore each to the families of each person who died in the crash. On June 14, Air India announced it will provide interim compensation of ₹25 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and survivors to help address immediate financial needs. The Air India Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed moments after takeoff on June 12, killing 260 people onboard and on the ground. The crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI-171. Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- India Gazette
Air India flight delayed after pilot suffers medical emergency before takeoff
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): An Air India flight from Bengaluru to Delhi was delayed in the early hours of Friday after a medical emergency involving one of its pilots. Flight AI2414 was set to depart on schedule, but the rostered pilot fell ill just before takeoff and was immediately taken to a local hospital. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying, 'There was a medical emergency involving one of our pilots in the early hours of 04 July. As a result, the pilot was unable to operate the flight AI2414 from Bengaluru to Delhi, which he was rostered for, and was taken to a local hospital immediately. The airline assured that the pilot is now in stable condition and remains under the care of medical professionals. He is currently stable but continues to be under the supervision of doctors at the same hospital, the spokesperson added. To minimize disruption, the airline arranged for another cockpit crew member to operate the flight. 'Consequently, AI2414 was delayed and operated by another member of our cockpit crew', the statement noted. Air India said its immediate focus is on the well-being of the pilot and providing support to his family. 'Our immediate priority is to assist the pilot and his family to ensure his speedy recovery', the spokesperson said. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 03:05 am, was delayed and eventually took off at 04:52 am after another pilot was arranged. It landed in Delhi at 07:21 am, nearly 90 minutes behind the scheduled arrival time of 05:55 am, according to Flightradar24. Earlier in the day, Air India denied allegations of coercing families of victims of the AI-171 accident into signing documents about their financial dependency on the deceased to reduce compensation payouts. In a detailed statement, the airline called the claims 'unsubstantiated and inaccurate.'The controversy surfaced following reports that some of the bereaved families were being compelled to disclose financial ties to their deceased loved ones--allegedly as a prerequisite for receiving compensation. However, the airlines clarified that the request for such information was a part of a standard process to ensure that interim compensation reached the rightful beneficiaries promptly. (ANI)
