
How are investigators looking into the Air India crash - and how long could they take?
The devastating Air India plane crash which killed 229 passengers and 12 crew has been labelled a "mystery" by experts.
The Gatwick-bound flight, which was carrying 53 Britons, came down just after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in western India on Thursday 12 June, leaving only one survivor and also killing people on the ground.
CCTV footage was captured of the crash, but experts say it has led to more questions than answers.
An ongoing investigation will be reviewing the footage and other key evidence left in the crash's wake.
But what are investigators looking at - and how long could it take?
What is unusual about the crash?
Air India Flight 171 took off from Ahmedabad Airport at 1.38pm local time on Thursday, and was only in the air for around half a minute.
CCTV footage shows the plane struggling to gain altitude and it quickly begins to descend towards buildings, with its wheels still out and its nose raised.
0:56
It crashed into a densely populated neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, killing at least 29 other people on the ground.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar, the aircraft reached a height of just 625ft before crashing.
The plane was a 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner, of which there are currently around 1,200 in operation worldwide.
While other Boeing planes like the 787 Max have been plagued by high-profile safety incidents, this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of the Dreamliner model's operation, according to experts.
1:16
Several experts have told Sky News that they spotted potential anomalies in the footage.
One of them was the landing gear, which appears to remain open throughout the clip.
Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein and Paul Edwards, an aviation security analyst and fellow at the Royal Aeronautical Society, have told Sky News the landing gear should have been up and that this remains a mystery.
6:51
Mr Rosenschein is also among the experts who have called into question the aircraft's flaps, which need to be set correctly as they extend the shape of each wing and create vital extra lift at lower speeds to enable the plane to take-off and climb effectively.
Some have also suggested a bird strike could be linked to the crash, but experts have pointed out that the aircraft has two engines and is designed to be able to fly on one, making this unlikely.
What are investigators looking at?
The investigation is being carried out by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. Anti-terror squads have also been part of the investigation teams, according to Reuters.
Aurobindo Handa, former director general of AAIB, told Sky News that any theories about what may have caused the incident are at this point purely speculative.
He says the most crucial thing for investigators was to retrieve the black boxes - or Digital Flight Data Recorders (DFDR) - from the crash site.
Black boxes have two components - the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - and provide crucial insights for crash investigators.
They include altitude, airspeed, the status of controls and pilot conversations which help determine probable causes of crashes.
They also store essential information about the configuration of the aircraft, including the flaps and landing gear.
Mr Handa said that when there is a crash, the retrieval of the black boxes becomes the "primary focus" straight after first responders have carried out their rescue mission.
It took investigators more than a day to recover the black boxes, longer than it took in many of the investigations Mr Handa oversaw, and he said this would have been because the aircraft was badly charred from fire.
Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported that they were due to be sent to the US so the data could be extracted, as they had suffered fire damage and could not be analysed in India.
The government said in a statement that the AAIB would decide where the recorders would be examined after making a "due assessment" of all technical, safety and security considerations.
Mr Handa said analysing the boxes' raw data will take some time.
"There are hundreds of components and instruments giving feedback to the DFDRs," he explained. "All the control services, all the engine parameters - everything goes into this."
Investigators are also looking at the plane's remnants from the crash site, which they compare with the flight data when coming to conclusions.
But Mr Handa said the investigators will likely be particularly reliant on the black box data in this instance because so much of the plane will be unrecoverable due to the fires.
They will also be scanning CCTV footage of the nearby area and speak with witnesses to get to the root cause of the crash, according to Amit Singh, a former pilot and an aviation expert.
Reuters has reported that investigators are assessing why the landing gear was open, citing a source "with direct knowledge", and that they are also looking at any possible operational issues with flaps.
A possible bird strike is not a focus of the investigation, Reuters has reported.
How long could the investigation take?
Investigators across the world follow a standard UN-prescribed Manual of Accident Investigation, also called DOC 9756, which outlines detailed procedures to arrive at the most probable cause of a crash.
In the case of a high-profile investigation of a major accident, countries are encouraged by the manual to publish a preliminary report within 30 days of the incident, but this is not mandatory.
The guidance says the state should aim to release its final report "in the shortest possible time and, if possible, within twelve months of the date of the occurrence".
It adds that if this is not possible, the state should release an interim statement on each anniversary of the incident detailing the progress of the investigation and any safety issues raised.
Mr Handa told Sky News the findings will likely not be published anytime soon, even if the investigators believe they have found the probable cause of the crash early on, because they must examine and analyse every possibility and every piece of data available to them.
He added that it is not just a case of finding the cause of the crash, but also uncovering the chain of events that led to that failure.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Plane crash sparks mystery in Alabama as pilot was nowhere to be found
An abandoned, bloodstained plane was mysteriously found wrecked in a secluded Alabama airfield, with no pilot to be found. On Friday morning, the Elberta Volunteer Fire Department responded to a crash in Baldwin County - located on the Gulf Coast, just east of Mobile - where a small Cessna 182 aircraft reportedly had gone down, as reported by WPMI News. But when authorities arrived, they found the small aircraft flipped upside down, bloodstains and shattered glass inside, with no sign of a pilot - or anyone else. 'It was flipped upside down and the occupants were no longer there,' Baldwin County Emergency Management Director Tom Tyler told 'They apparently had walked away and were transported somewhere,' he added. At around 9am Friday morning, the fire department was alerted to a crash involving a Cessna 182 - a lightweight, single-engine, two-seater plane - in a field off Gardner Road and County Road 95. The last known details of the flight's route were recorded in data from FlightRadar24, which showed the aircraft circling the Orange Beach area before heading north and ultimately vanishing from the radar, WPMI reported. First responders and emergency personnel quickly arrived on the scene, prepared to administer first aid to the pilot and any passengers injured in the crash, according to WKRG News. However, all they found was a completely abandoned aircraft, with no occupants in sight - only traces of blood and shattered glass inside the otherwise empty plane. Images from the crash site, obtained by WKRG, revealed that the plane's wing appeared to have been damaged, likely from the force of impact with the ground. 'They had about 50 gallons of fuel onboard,' Tyler told 'But there was no leaking or no oil that the first responders could see.' Upon further investigation, tire marks were also discovered at the crash site, hinting at a more puzzling scenario, Tyler explained. As authorities attempted to find and contact the plane's owner and missing pilot, initial theories suggested that those on board may have been taken to a medical facility in Florida, WKRG reported. By Friday afternoon, however, it remained unclear whether the occupants had been identified or located. 'I've not been told of anybody self-reporting to a hospital for any kind of injuries associated with this,' the EMA director told the outlet. Tyler also mentioned that he hadn't heard of any injuries matching the crash, telling 'I certainly have not heard from any area hospitals.' Although the discovery was made Friday morning, officials later stated they believe the crash occurred around 5pm Thursday evening. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to arrive on Monday, as the situation is not deemed urgent - no one was killed, and the aircraft is now considered abandoned. Friday's bizarre discovery comes just weeks after two people were killed when their small aircraft crashed near the Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville, North Carolina, on June 3. The cause of the deadly wreck - which also left one passenger seriously injured - was revealed to be a turtle on the runway that the pilot maneuvered to avoid. A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the pilot had lifted the plane's right main wheel to avoid striking the turtle, eventually leading to the fatal disaster. Just before touching down, a communications operator informed the pilot of the turtle. The operator told the NTSB that the pilot landed and traveled about halfway down the runway before lifting the wheel in an attempt to avoid hitting it. The plane ultimately left the operator's view. A man cutting grass at the time reported seeing its wings 'rock back and forth.' The small aircraft took off again before disappearing over the trees. A witness then heard a 'loud crash and saw smoke,' according to the agency. It was found wedged between two trees in a heavily forested area, around 255 feet away from the runway. Although the aircraft remained intact, a fire soon broke out and the plane's wings were completely burned off.


Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
All four pilots suspended after runway collision which saw Boeing slice through tail fin of parked Airbus
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALL four pilots involved in a horrifying runway plane collision which saw one jet slice through another's tail fin have been suspended. Harrowing footage showed a Boeing shred through a stationary Airbus while on the tarmac - just moments before it was set to take off. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A plane sliced through another one's wing on a runway 3 Debris scattered across the tarmac during the horror collision 3 Nearly 400 passengers disembarked both flights Hundreds were left stranded after the shocking accident which unfolded in front of terrified passengers who watched debris scatter across the runway. The two Vietnam Airlines aircraft smashed into each other at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam on June 27 - with both aircraft carrying a total of 386 passengers. The Ho Chi Minh City-bound Boeing 787 was taxiing for take-off when it struck an Airbus A321, parked on the tarmac, waiting to head to Dien Bien. Vietnam Airlines has now suspended the four pilots involved - two from each jet. Meanwhile, investigators are still probing the exact cause of the crash. Initial findings have suggested human error, due to the fact the Airbus was not parked correctly on the runway at the time of the smash. The dramatic collision took place at the intersection of taxiways S and S3, under clear weather conditions. In the shocking footage, a blue Airbus can be seen taxi-ing just moments before take-off. But seconds later, another jet's right wing rips through the rear section of the stationary aircraft - almost like butter. Frightened passengers watched in disbelief as they saw parts of the plane's tail stabilizer shoot off onto the floor. Ex-French army general and couple die in horror crash as plane smashes into residential area minutes after takeoff Both planes immediately disembarked hundreds of panicked flyers after the accident. And they were given replacement flights to board shortly after. An independent team hired by the airline are investigating the crash, alongside the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. The terrifying footage comes after a recent string of horror aviation accidents. Heartstopping footage showed the moment an American Airlines flight saw smoke and sparks flying from the plane's engine. Harrowing video of the incident was shared on social media, showing puffs of smoke and orange sparks coming from the plane's engine. And last week, a Ryanair flight crashed into a barrier and suffered a badly smashed wing after landing at a Greek airport. The Boeing 737 suffered 'severe turbulence' during the flight, before those onboard heard a huge bang as the aircraft landed and collided with a barrier.


The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
All four pilots suspended after runway collision which saw Boeing slice through tail fin of parked Airbus
ALL four pilots involved in a horrifying runway plane collision which saw one jet slice through another's tail fin have been suspended. Harrowing footage showed a Boeing shred through a stationary Airbus while on the tarmac - just moments before it was set to take off. 3 3 3 Hundreds were left stranded after the shocking accident which unfolded in front of terrified passengers who watched debris scatter across the runway. The two Vietnam Airlines aircraft smashed into each other at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam on June 27 - with both aircraft carrying a total of 386 passengers. The Ho Chi Minh City-bound Boeing 787 was taxiing for take-off when it struck an Airbus A321, parked on the tarmac, waiting to head to Dien Bien. Vietnam Airlines has now suspended the four pilots involved - two from each jet. Meanwhile, investigators are still probing the exact cause of the crash. Initial findings have suggested human error, due to the fact the Airbus was not parked correctly on the runway at the time of the smash. The dramatic collision took place at the intersection of taxiways S and S3, under clear weather conditions. In the shocking footage, a blue Airbus can be seen taxi-ing just moments before take-off. But seconds later, another jet's right wing rips through the rear section of the stationary aircraft - almost like butter. Frightened passengers watched in disbelief as they saw parts of the plane's tail stabilizer shoot off onto the floor. Both planes immediately disembarked hundreds of panicked flyers after the accident. And they were given replacement flights to board shortly after. An independent team hired by the airline are investigating the crash, alongside the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. The terrifying footage comes after a recent string of horror aviation accidents. Heartstopping footage showed the moment an American Airlines flight saw smoke and sparks flying from the plane's engine. Harrowing video of the incident was shared on social media, showing puffs of smoke and orange sparks coming from the plane's engine. And last week, a Ryanair flight crashed into a barrier and suffered a badly smashed wing after landing at a Greek airport. The Boeing 737 suffered 'severe turbulence' during the flight, before those onboard heard a huge bang as the aircraft landed and collided with a barrier.