‘Sending Air India 171 black boxes to America is shocking': ‘Flying Beast' Gaurav Taneja says ‘Boeing has power', highlights conflict of interest
YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, better known as Flying Beast online, spoke about the timeline of the ongoing Air India Flight 171 investigation. He said that a preliminary report should be made available within 30 days of the crash. On June 12, the Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crashed into a building moments after take-off, killing 270. Since then, Taneja has offered insight into the tragedy, as a former commercial pilot with a decade of experience. Hours after the crash, he said that the likeliest cause would be a 'dual engine failure'; he has since amended his theory to include human error. In a new interview, he questioned the decision to send the flight's recovered black box to the United States, and said that this is a conflict of interest because the manufacturer of the aircraft, Boeing, exercises major power in America. The decision to investigate the black boxes in an Indian facility or whether to send them overseas is yet to be taken. Sources have said that it will depend on the condition of the black boxes.
Appearing on the Prakhar Ke Pravachan podcast, Taneja said that everything that could go wrong on that fateful day went wrong. He said that, to the best of his understanding, the pilots accidentally killed the wrong engine after take-off, after one of the engines had already stalled on the runway. He also pointed to systemic issues in the airline industry, and questioned the reasons why experienced pilots could've made such an error. He said that pilots are often made to fly under fatigue, and on subpar aircraft that don't meet full safety requirements.
Also read – Gaurav Taneja aka Flying Beast freezes as he simulates Air India Flight 171 crash: 'All you can do is watch the ground come at you'
Explaining how data is recorded on flights, he said, 'There are two boxes, CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and DFDR (Digital Flight Data Recorder). When I used to fly, the CVR would record the last two hours of communication. The DFDR is a comprehensive log of the flight, every possible data point is recorded. Pitch, bank, roll, fuel, everything… These are the two boxes that need to be recovered, which they were. But, surprisingly, they said that they've been damaged, and can't be processed here. So, they were sent to the US.'
Taneja continued, 'That was shocking, because it was a Boeing aircraft. Boeing is an American company, and you've sent the boxes to America. There's a conflict of interest… The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau here falls under the government's ambit. There has been a fight to make it independent, because a body that's under the government can be easily manipulated… The reports that are made in India aren't made so that future accidents can be avoided; they're made to save someone.'
Addressing the past complaints made against Boeing, Taneja said, 'The US economy relies on Boeing. It's a very big company. There are a couple of lawmakers who were initially at Boeing, and now they're in Congress. Boeing has power.' A few years ago, Boeing came under fire after two 737 Max aircraft crashed because of a software update that wasn't communicated properly to pilots or airlines. The entire fleet was grounded until the issue was addressed and resolved.
Indian Express reported on June 20 that the decision on whether to send the black boxes abroad hasn't yet been finalised. 'The AAIB investigation is progressing steadily with all necessary support from local authorities and agencies. Key recovery work, including site documentation and evidence collection, has been completed, and further analysis is now underway,' the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Thursday. 'It will depend on the condition. The investigators will have to ascertain the absolute integrity of the black boxes, and if they are confident about it, they would like to analyse them at the new lab instead of sending it to an overseas facility,' a source had earlier told The Indian Express.
Hashtags
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
'Why double standard?': Employee questions office dress code after boss bans slippers but allows crop tops
A Reddit post has sparked discussion around workplace attire and perceived double standards. In a post titled 'Dresscode double standards: crop tops ok, slippers not ok', a user named @peela_doodh12 shared an incident from his workplace—a digital news company that reportedly has no official dress code—where he was instructed by his boss not to wear slippers to the office. A Redditor questioned office dress code norms after being told not to wear slippers.(Representational image/Unsplash) (Also read: Employee details ordeal of manager 'shamelessly' asking for money despite repeated refusals) 'I work at a digital news website where there's no official dress code. Some women coworkers wear crop tops that expose the navel and I have no issue with that,' the post begins. 'But here's what bothers me: I was once told by my boss not to wear slippers. My role doesn't involve attending meetings or any situation that demands formal wear. So why the double standard? If others can dress comfortably, why can't I wear slippers as long as I'm doing my job well?' Check out the post here: Mixed reactions flood the comments The post quickly attracted comments from fellow Redditors, with users weighing in from both sides of the discussion. One user sarcastically suggested, 'Go with barefoot so your supervisor will request you to wear at least slippers.' Another offered a more technical explanation: 'Slippers are dangerous during evacuations as per Health and Safety ISO standards. Your company is ensuring your safety. This is followed in all MNCs.' Yet some responses reflected personal observations and biases. 'Most of the girls who wear crop tops to the office keep pulling the dress down to cover their tummy… wonder why they chose to wear crop tops,' one commenter wrote. Others took a more neutral or supportive stance. 'People can wear anything publicly decent that they want to if there's no dress code. There's nothing wrong in that. And of course, no one wears a dirty pair of slippers to office if that's what you're imagining,' said a user. (Also read: US company demands Indian employee keep camera on during work hours. His response) However, not everyone agreed. 'Who wears slippers at office? Doesn't matter what your role is, at least respect the decorum of the place,' one Redditor argued. In defence, the original poster responded, 'Read the post. There is no dress code. Can you tell me what exactly is wrong with slippers? How does that not maintain the decorum? If I'm doing job fine how does it matter what one wears.' Another commenter added, 'I used to wear bathroom slippers to my startup, no one cared.'
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
The barefoot Naga in Kargil's bloodiest night
Chandigarh: It was the bloodiest night of the Kargil War . As dawn broke on June 29, 1999, a beleaguered Commanding Officer of the 2 Rajputana Rifles (2 Raj Rif), Col M B Ravindranath, Vir Chakra, was taking stock of the blood that had seeped into the forbidding, lifeless alpine rocks. Three of his officers and 10 other ranks had made the supreme sacrifice, 51 were wounded, including 36 critically. None more heroic of those against-all-odds actions than that of the Naga officer, Capt N Kenguruse. As the attack stalled that night, Kenguruse had barefoot launched a suicidal assault up the vertical cliff face of Lone Hill on the Drass LoC. The slippery slopes of Lone Hill had not afforded traction to his Army-regulation snow boots, so he just dumped them. But the odds were so stacked against the daredevil action that Kenguruse never got to the top. All that the Pakistani soldiers of the 6 Northern Light Infantry (SIKKIS) had to do was to push boulders off the top and onto Kenguruse and Hav. Sharman Singh, both of whom were clinging to a precipice under angled fire from the top. They plunged off the cliff, 200 feet to their deaths. Kenguruse, forever frozen in immortality at age 25, was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) while Singh the Sena Medal (Gallantry). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like local network access control Esseps Learn More Undo Kenguruse's fatal initiative epitomised the raw courage displayed by the Indian Infantry in the unique alpine battles of Kargil where it attacked the waiting enemy in frontal assaults and up heights ranging in excess of 19,000 feet. These were heights, terrain and such tempestuous weather, that other nations would dare send only mountaineering expeditions. But here Indian soldiers fought with blood, guts and 'jugaad' resulting in 545 deaths. The Indian soldiers had etched with their blood a saga unparalleled in the annals of super-high altitude warfare. That fateful night, Kenguruse, the indomitable Naga from Nerhema village, Kohima, was leading the battalion's Ghatak platoon (commandos) tasked by the CO to act as a protective patrol to Delta Company's infiltrating column under the command of Maj. Mohit Saxena, Vir Chakra. D Company''s assault got held up due to the steep and forbidding approach up a vertical cliff face of Lone Hill. Kenguruse seized the initiative, took off his boots, socks and clambered up the cliff. His daring assault picked a route to the enemy's position from a flank but up a vertical mountain wall. On top of Lone Hill was the enemy in section strength, entrenched in bunkers fashioned from boulders (sangers), and supported by a universal machine gun (UMG). As Kenguruse climbed to the top, he took a hit. "As the commando team scaled the cliff face, it came under intense fire, which caused heavy casualties. The officer sustained a splinter injury in his abdomen. Bleeding profusely yet undeterred, he urged his men to carry on with the displayed conspicuous gallantry, indomitable resolve, grit and determination beyond the call of duty and made the supreme sacrifice in the face of the enemy, in true traditions of the Indian Army," said the official citation for Kenguruse's MVC. A detailed account of Kenguruse's last moments supported by photographs of Lone Hill has been penned by the late Ravindranath in his memoir, 'Kargil War: The Turning Point'. The memoir is supported by first-hand accounts from (later Brigadier) Saxena, the D Company commander under whose command during the night of June 28-29, 1999, were placed Kenguruse's Ghataks. "Kenguruse's daredevil assault: Failing to find a way to Lone Hill, Kenguruse led his troops through a rock face, climbing it with bare feet and hands, and had gained a route to the top, and together, they had fought their way to the top. It was then that the enemy in desperation had pushed the stones down on this team. The rolling stones had swept this team down the precipice at the edge of which Kenguruse's team had gathered to launch a final push to the top. It was a merciless tumble for the team, resulting in the death of Kenguruse and Sharman, whose hands still held the grenade he had intended to throw," wrote Ravindranath. As Kenguruse and Singh plunged off the cliff, Delta Company's reserve platoon under Sub. Sayar Singh was still 500 metres behind. The first light of dawn June 29, 1999, was just an hour away and threatening to rob the assaulting Indian troops of the cover of darkness. It was a critical situation, as assessed by the CO, who had staged well forward into the battle. "Overall, in my assessment, Delta Company had expended itself, and despite the heroic efforts, we had yet to capture Lone Hill or succeed in capturing a tactical foothold," wrote Ravindranath. Ultimately, with the Bofors fire coming in and the 18 Garhwal Rifles launching simultaneous flanking assaults on Point 4700, the enemy panicked and vacated its battlements on Lone Hill, Three Pimples and Knoll, which were the three main objectives of 2 Raj Rif that night. Victory had come, but laced heavily with the taste of salty blood in the mouth.
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- New Indian Express
The silence that grew loud in me
Once on a flight from somewhere to Delhi, I sat comfortably in my usual aisle seat, having long outgrown the youthful urge to sit by the window. The window seat, I had grown to realise, was strategically a bad move. This time, the middle seat beside me was empty, and I closed my eyes in relief. I looked forward to some elbow room and no threat of a possibly smelly, uncouth passenger beside me for the next two-and-a-half hours, an all-too-common occurrence nowadays. An argument two rows ahead made me open my eyes. A rough, unkempt man was having loud words with the air hostess about a seating mix-up. She looked at the empty seat next to mine, clearly intending to send the man there. I froze in horror. Meeting her eyes, I rolled mine and gave the faintest shake of my head. Her lips twitched slightly, and she led him away to an empty seat elsewhere. When she passed by me before take-off, I discreetly murmured, 'Thank you'. She smiled, shaking her head, as if to say, 'No problem'. The wonderful yet sad thing about this encounter was the instant understanding that silently passed between two Indian women, even across generations, that some men were best avoided. For years now, especially as I grew older, my strongest feeling about the harassment that I faced—that every Indian girl and woman has faced—has been regret. Regret that I had felt so sullied by the words or deeds of 'eve-teasers' that I usually pretended that nothing had happened. This was the wrong thing to do, I realised because it only gave them the guts to harass more girls and women. My silence during those times was utterly wrong. I now feel that I let other girls down by not shouting out loud every time I was harassed by the boys, men and unclejis of Delhi, calling them out at once and publicly shaming them.
