Air India flight to London aborts take-off due to technical issue weeks after fatal crash
Flight AI2017, which was scheduled to depart Delhi for London on Thursday (31 July) was brought to a halt after the cockpit crew decided to 'discontinue the take-off run'.
Passengers on board the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner were asked to disembark as precautionary checks were carried out. Air India later deployed an alternative aircraft to complete the journey to London.
An Air India spokesperson said: 'Flight AI2017, operating from Delhi to London on 31 July, returned to the bay due to a suspected technical issue.
'The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the takeoff run following standard operating procedures and brought the aircraft back for precautionary checks.
'An alternative aircraft was deployed to fly the passengers to London.'
The incident comes just weeks after an Air India flight bound for London Gatwick struck a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad minutes after take-off, killing 241 people.
Indian aviation officials confirmed the pilot issued multiple distress calls before the Gatwick-bound flight crashed in Gujarat state on 12 June, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 more on the ground.
'Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' the pilot is reported to have said moments before the aircraft lost height and erupted in flames.
There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, according to Air India.
Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government has set up a high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash.
The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.
Air India and the government are looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
United flight with over 200 passengers declares 'mayday' with engine failure after takeoff from D.C.
A United Airlines flight bound for Germany declared "mayday, mayday, mayday" with an engine failure last month, forcing the jet to hastily retreat to Washington, D.C., tower recordings and the carrier said on Monday. The pilot of Flight 108, headed to Munich on July 25, declared that his left engine had failed and he was "declaring an emergency, mayday, mayday, mayday," according to cockpit and air traffic control audio published on the YouTube channel You can see ATC. Flight 108 was headed to Munich when the Boeing 787 with 219 passengers and 11 crew members had to turn back for Dulles International Airport, United said in a statement on Monday. Air traffic control and the pilot calmly hashed out details about the return as the plane dumped fuel to adjust for the proper weight needed for landing, the recordings revealed. The tower cleared out nearby air traffic for Flight 108's return to Dulles. "Speed at your discretion," air traffic control said. "Nobody behind you, nobody in front, sir." The jet "returned to Washington Dulles shortly after takeoff to address a mechanical issue," according to United. "The plane landed safely, and all passengers deplaned normally at the gate," the Chicago-based carrier continued. "The flight was subsequently canceled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible." The FAA said in a statement that it's aware of "possible engine issues" aboard the United flight and is investigating. Flight 108 was scheduled to leave Dulles at 5:40 p.m. EST and soar above the Atlantic overnight before landing at Munich International Airport at 5:40 a.m. CEST the next morning. But this edition of Flight 108 took off from Dulles at 6:11 p.m. EDT and landed back at the same airport at 8:49 p.m., according to the airline tracking database FlightAware.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Why a United Airlines mayday isn't as scary as it sounds
When a United Airlines flight issued a mayday call shortly after departure, passengers onboard were doubtlessly scared. One of the Boeing 787's engines had failed, and the plane was forced to return to Washington Dulles International Airport, rather than continuing over the Atlantic to Munich, where it was bound that Friday evening. Fortunately, the plane landed safely, and no injuries were reported – a testament to effective pilot training and the overall safety of air travel. Any time a plane suffers a flight-disrupting incident, it has the chance to become front-page news, which is perhaps a sign of just how safe flying is. Scores of fatal car accidents go unreported by the national media every day, but a flight that returns to its departure airport, even if no one is hurt, seems worthy of our attention. Flying remains, by far, the safest way to travel in the U.S., as proven by the 2024 Transportation Statistics Report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 'Transportation incidents for all modes claimed 44,546 lives in 2022, of which all but 2,032 involved highway motor vehicles. Preliminary estimates for 2023 suggest a further decline in fatalities,' the report says. 'There were no deaths from crashes on large commercial airlines in 2023, but several hundred deaths occurred in crashes in general aviation, commuter air, and air taxi services.' In January, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River, killing 67 people between the two aircraft. It was an absolute tragedy, but also a statistical anomaly, and the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in U.S. airspace in nearly 15 years. Is flying safe?: Here's what travelers should know. Airplanes are also designed with safety and redundancy in mind. The 787 that operated United's diverted flight on Friday is capable of flying for hours on a single engine. So, while pilots prioritized getting the plane back on the ground expeditiously, the aircraft itself would have been capable of reaching a runway much farther afield if needed. Pilots and cabin crews, too, are trained to keep safety at the forefront, and are almost always credited with assuring the best possible outcome when something goes awry. So, passengers should continue flying without too much concern. As the adage goes, you're much more likely to get injured on your drive to the airport than you are in the sky.
CNN
7 hours ago
- CNN
United Airlines flight makes emergency landing at Dulles after pilot declares mayday
A United Airlines flight traveling from Washington Dulles International Airport made an emergency landing last month after the pilot declared a mayday call shortly after takeoff due to suspected engine failure. United flight 108, bound for Munich, Germany, was forced to return to Dulles on July 25 'to address a mechanical issue,' the airline told CNN. The plane, a Boeing 787, was carrying 219 passengers and 11 crew members, the airline said. Minutes into its ascent and at nearly 5,000 feet, the pilot told air traffic control, 'Engine failure, left engine, United 108 declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday,' according to recorded air traffic control audio. An air traffic controller asked the pilot, 'Are you able to make your way back to the field at this time' by turning right. 'There's nobody between you and the field,' the controller said. Data from flight tracking site Flightradar 24 showed the flight departed around 6:11 p.m. ET before it circled back and landed safely at Dulles around two hours later. In a statement to CNN, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said the plane was checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel, then towed to a gate. 'There was no disruption to other flights,' MWAA said. 'The plane landed safely, and all passengers deplaned normally at the gate. The flight was subsequently canceled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible,' United said in its statement.
