Air India crash: Army dispatches more than 100 jawans to Ahmedabad to assist rescue ops
'The response includes engineering teams with JCBs for clearing debris, medical teams with doctors and paramedics, Quick Action Teams (QATs), fire-fighting units with extinguishers and water bowsers, as well as provost staff for site security and crowd management,' it said in a statement. Military Hospital has been placed on alert, it added.
New Delhi: The Indian Army has deployed nearly 130 personnel to support ongoing rescue and relief operations after the London-bound Air India aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Thursday. The Army said that its teams are assisting civil administration efforts under the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mandate.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has also deployed approximately 150 personnel to support rescue and relief operations following the crash. News agency ANI quoted a CRPF statement as saying, 'troops from the 100 Battalion of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and personnel from the CRPF's Group Centre in Gandhinagar have been mobilised to assist with on-ground efforts at the crash site.'
A top official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier told ThePrint that most of the 242 people aboard the flight are feared dead.
The aircraft, AI171, was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration VT-ANB and serial number 36279.
According to Flightradar24, which tracks live flight data globally, the aircraft lost signal at 10:08 am (GMT+1), at an altitude of just 625 feet, less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad International Airport. The flight was scheduled to land at London Gatwick Airport at 6:25 pm (GMT+1).
TATA Group which took over Air India in January 2022 took to X to confirm the incident through a statement by its chairman, N. Chandrasekaran. 'At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and provide all necessary support and care to those impacted,' he said.
Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, also released a statement Thursday, saying it is in contact with Air India and stands 'ready to support them'. 'Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders, and all affected,' the company added.
According to the Boeing website, the 787-8 Dreamliner can carry up to 248 passengers, has a wingspan of 60 metres and a range of over 13,500 km. The aircraft operates on over 425 non-stop global routes, many of which had never been served before its induction.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: What Air India's fleet looks like in 2025
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Business Standard
20 minutes ago
- Business Standard
A month on, soot-covered buildings mark site of Ahmedabad plane crash
The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground, including several BJ Medical College students Press Trust of India Ahmedabad A month after the Air India plane crashed on the bustling medical hostel complex near Ahmedabad airport, charred trees, soot-covered walls, and empty buildings now serve as grim reminders of the deadliest aviation accident in a decade. On that day, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick, crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport. The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground, including several BJ Medical College students. At the time of the crash, many medical students and resident doctors were either in their hostel rooms or gathered in the mess for lunch. The tail section of the aircraft rammed into the mess building, turning an ordinary afternoon into a horrific scene of fire and destruction. Wreckage was scattered across the hostel grounds, and thick soot still clung to the damaged buildings. One month later, barring a contingent of police personnel, the crash site shows no signs of activity. Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipal Singh Rathore, said approximately 50-60 police personnel have been deployed to guard the crash site. He said the arrangement will be withdrawn after AAIB gives us a report in the next 2-4 days stating they are no longer needed at the spot.. According to a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the wreckage was spread over an area approximately 1,000 feet by 400 feet. The aircraft's descent began with an impact against several trees and an incineration chimney within the Army Medical Corps compound before it crashed into the northeast wall of Building A (the mess building), it said. The crash site is located just 0.9 nautical miles from the departure end of the airport runway. Four hostel buildingsAtulyam 1 to 4and the mess building were severely damaged. BJ Medical College Dean Dr. Minakshi Parikh stated that approximately 150 students were displaced and promptly relocated to vacant rooms in other hostels or private apartments rented by the college. "Within a week, we had made alternative arrangements for accommodation. The damaged mess building is no longer in use, and students are now being served at canteens operating in other hostel buildings, she said. The AAIB stated, "As the aircraft was losing altitude, it initially made contact with a series of trees and an incineration chimney inside the Army Medical Corps compound before impacting the northeast wall of Building A (hostel mess)". The distance between the tree on which the aircraft made its initial contact and the point on Building A where the aircraft impacted is 293 ft. As the aircraft moved forward, it continued fragmenting and colliding with other structures and vegetation, it said. The report stated that the vertical stabiliser of the plane separated and came to rest about 200 feet south of the initial point of contact with the first building. The tail section and the main landing gear (MLG) of the aircraft were found embedded in the northeast wall of the same building while the rest of the aeroplane continued its forward movement, it said. The damaged terrace of the mess building is leaning, with a gaping hole created by the tail which was removed ten days after the crash. Further describing the impact of the crash, the AAIB report stated that the right engine of the aircraft struck the concrete water tank structure and rested underneath it after separating from the aeroplane. Different parts of the aircraft separated after its initial contact with the first building, and struck four other buildings. The parts of the right wing were found in two affected buildings and the surrounding areas, while the left engine hit the north corner of the fourth building at ground level. "The engine, remaining portions of the attached cowling, and the surrounding area were heavily damaged by fire," it said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Print
24 minutes ago
- The Print
One month after Ahmedabad plane crash: Silence and soot-covered buildings stand as grim reminders
The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground, including several BJ Medical College students. On that day, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick, crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport. Ahmedabad, July 12 (PTI) A month after the Air India plane crashed on the bustling medical hostel complex near Ahmedabad airport, charred trees, soot-covered walls, and empty buildings now serve as grim reminders of the deadliest aviation accident in a decade. At the time of the crash, many medical students and resident doctors were either in their hostel rooms or gathered in the mess for lunch. The tail section of the aircraft rammed into the mess building, turning an ordinary afternoon into a horrific scene of fire and destruction. Wreckage was scattered across the hostel grounds, and thick soot still clung to the damaged buildings. One month later, barring a contingent of police personnel, the crash site shows no signs of activity. Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipal Singh Rathore, said approximately 50-60 police personnel have been deployed to guard the crash site. He said the arrangement will be withdrawn after AAIB gives us a report in the next 2-4 days stating they are no longer needed at the spot.. According to a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the wreckage was spread over an area approximately 1,000 feet by 400 feet. The aircraft's descent began with an impact against several trees and an incineration chimney within the Army Medical Corps compound before it crashed into the northeast wall of Building A (the mess building), it said. The crash site is located just 0.9 nautical miles from the departure end of the airport runway. Four hostel buildings—Atulyam 1 to 4—and the mess building were severely damaged. BJ Medical College Dean Dr. Minakshi Parikh stated that approximately 150 students were displaced and promptly relocated to vacant rooms in other hostels or private apartments rented by the college. 'Within a week, we had made alternative arrangements for accommodation. The damaged mess building is no longer in use, and students are now being served at canteens operating in other hostel buildings,' she said. The AAIB stated, 'As the aircraft was losing altitude, it initially made contact with a series of trees and an incineration chimney inside the Army Medical Corps compound before impacting the northeast wall of Building A (hostel mess)'. The distance between the tree on which the aircraft made its initial contact and the point on Building A where the aircraft impacted is 293 ft. As the aircraft moved forward, it continued fragmenting and colliding with other structures and vegetation, it said. The report stated that the vertical stabiliser of the plane separated and came to rest about 200 feet south of the initial point of contact with the first building. The tail section and the main landing gear (MLG) of the aircraft were found embedded in the northeast wall of the same building while the rest of the aeroplane continued its forward movement, it said. The damaged terrace of the mess building is leaning, with a gaping hole created by the tail which was removed ten days after the crash. Further describing the impact of the crash, the AAIB report stated that the right engine of the aircraft struck the concrete water tank structure and rested underneath it after separating from the aeroplane. Different parts of the aircraft separated after its initial contact with the first building, and struck four other buildings. The parts of the right wing were found in two affected buildings and the surrounding areas, while the left engine hit the north corner of the fourth building at ground level. 'The engine, remaining portions of the attached cowling, and the surrounding area were heavily damaged by fire,' it said. PTI KA PD NSK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
24 minutes ago
- The Print
Air India crash preliminary report: A look at what fuel switches are designed to do & built-in safeguards
'Cut off' transition here refers to the fuel supply to the aircraft's engines being stopped, which could be one of the key reasons behind the tragedy. On 12 June, the London-bound 787-8 Dreamliner crashed within 1 minute of the departure time, right after take-off. At least 275 people died in the crash, including 241 of the 242 on board. New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report on the Air India flight 171 crash refers to a cockpit conversation between the pilots on the transition of the fuel switches from 'run' to 'cut off'. The report says that immediately after take-off, fuel switches of both Engine 1 and Engine 2 transitioned from 'run' to 'cut off' position one after another with a time gap of one second. Speaking to ThePrint, an Air Line Pilots' Association (ALPA) of India spokesperson said there is little to no room for fuel switches to be cut off inadvertently. The spokesperson explained, 'Each engine of the Dreamlier has its own fuel switch. They have two positions—'run' and 'off'. There are locking mechanisms in place. The locking mechanism has to be disengaged, pushed and pulled and then it locks. It can't just be moved or turned off and on by hand. The fuel switches are guarded so that they aren't pulled inadvertently. There is a proper mechanism in place and the system alerts the pilots of each move.' The spokesperson also highlighted that such situations during take-off are far more critical than after the aircraft has reached a certain altitude, as then the pilots have more reaction time. One of the pilots on AI 171, as per the cockpit voice recordings, stated clearly that he had not turned the fuel switches off. All aircraft have systems in place to alert pilots in case fuel switches are turned off. The report also mentions that the CCTV footage obtained from the airport showed the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) getting deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off. RAT is typically deployed in emergency situations owing to loss of power in both engines or total electronic or hydraulic failure. The Boeing 787-8 en route from Ahmedabad to London on 12 June crashed 32 seconds after being airborne, within a minute of its scheduled departure time of 1.39 pm. The report does refer to a known Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) on the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. This was based on reports from operators of Model 737 airplanes that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. However, this wasn't considered an unsafe condition that would warrant an airworthiness directive (AD) by the FAA and Air India didn't carry out the suggested inspections as the SAIB was an advisory and not mandatory. This design of the fuel control switches with the same locking mechanism is also present in other Boeing models, including the 787 series. This Dreamliner had the same relevant component (4TL837-3D). As per data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR), within seconds, the switches for both the engines were transitioned from 'cut off' to 'run', which indicates that the pilots in the last moments had tried to save the flight from crashing. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: What could have gone wrong? A pilot & an ex-crew member reflect on AI 171 crash & rules of takeoff
