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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
How a black box works and what it found in the Air India flight crash report?
A preliminary investigation into the deadly Air India crash of June 12 was released on Saturday, revealing details of the final moments of the ill-fated AI171 flight that was bound for London's Gatwick from Gujarat's Ahmedabad and crashed within seconds of takeoff into a medical hostel building. Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground, outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where it took off and crashed nearby shortly afterwards, in Ahmedabad.(REUTERS) The report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that both engines on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner lost thrust shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12 — because the aircraft's fuel control switches had been turned off. The report also included a tense exchange between pilots extracted from the cockpit voice recordings recovered from the black box. In the first few, which were also the final, seconds of the flight one pilot asked the other, 'Why did you cut off the fuel?' The response came, 'I did not do so,' according to the AAIB report. The report based its finding on the data recovered from the Air India Boeing 787-7 plane's black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders. What are black boxes? Black boxes – cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder – are tools that help investigators reconstruct the events that lead up to a plane crash. They're orange in color to make them easier to find in wreckage, sometimes at deep into oceans. They're usually installed a plane's tail section, which is considered the most survivable part of the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's website. Two people are believed to have been behind the creation of the devices that record what happens on an airplane. One is French aviation engineer François Hussenot. In the 1930s, he found a way to record a plane's speed, altitude and other parameters onto photographic film, according to the website for European plane-maker Airbus. In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary. What does the cockpit voice recorder do? The cockpit voice recorder collects radio transmissions and sounds such as the pilot's voices and engine noises, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) website. Black boxes generally survive fatal aviation accidents as they are built with multiple protective layers that include titanium or stainless steel outer shell that resists crushing and penetration; thermal insulation to withstand intense fire and shock-absorbing materials to protect internal electronics during violent impacts. Depending on what happened, investigators may pay close attention to the engine noise, stall warnings and other clicks and pops, as per NTSB website. And from those sounds, investigators can often determine engine speed and the failure of some systems. Investigators can also listen to conversations between the pilots and crew and communications with air traffic control, as mentioned in the AAIB preliminary report for the AI171 crash. It, however, can take weeks for experts to make transcripts of the voice recordings. What does the flight data recorder do? The flight data recorder monitors a plane's altitude, airspeed and heading, according to the NTSB. Those factors are among at least 88 parameters that newly built planes must monitor. Flight data recorder monitors collect the status of more than 1,000 other characteristics, from a wing's flap position to the smoke alarms. The NTSB said it can generate a computer animated video reconstruction of the flight from the information collected. Why the name 'black box'? According to an Associated Press news agency report, which cited Airbus, some have suggested that the term stems from Hussenot's device because it used film and 'ran continuously in a light-tight box, hence the name 'black box.'' Airbus noted that orange was the box's chosen color from the beginning to make it easy to find. Other theories include the boxes turning black when they get charred in a crash, the Smithsonian Magazine wrote in 2019. The media continues to use the term, the magazine wrote, 'because of the sense of mystery it conveys in the aftermath of an air disaster.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Who is the sole survivor of Indian airline crash that killed 241
An Air India commercial jet carrying more than 200 passengers en route to London crashed minutes after taking off Thursday morning from the Indian state of Gujarat. The Boeing 787-7 aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members on board. Air India said later that 69 were Indian nationals, 53 were British nationals, seven were Portuguese and one Canadian national was on board. All but one abroad were killed in the crash that took place in the residential area of Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat. The one passenger who survived was Vishwashkumar Ramesh. Ramesh was filmed walking away from the wreckage. He is a British national of Indian origin. 'Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' Ramesh said to the Hindustan Times on Thursday. Ramesh was visiting family in India for a few days and was returning to the United Kingdom, where he has lived for two decades. 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital,' Ramesh told The Hindustan Times. Ramesh's brother Nayan Kumar said that their father spoke to Vishwashkumar moments before the plane, bound for England's London Gatwick Airport, took off. 'My dad called him. And Vishwash said, 'Oh, we're going to take off soon,' Nayan said in a Thursday interview with Sky News. 'He video called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive – how I exited the plane',' Nayan told the news channel. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who is treating Ramesh at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, told The Associated Press that Ramesh was 'disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body.' 'But he seems to be out of danger,' the doctor told the AP. Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik told Indian news outlet Asian News International that Ramesh was seated in seat 11A in the emergency row. The former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector David Soucie told CNN that the 11A seat is 'right where the spar of the wing would go under and it would be a solid place for the aircraft to hit the ground, but as far as survivability above it, that is incredibly surprising.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-06-2025
- General
- The Hill
Who is the sole survivor of Indian airline crash that killed 241
An Air India commercial jet carrying more than 200 passengers en route to London crashed minutes after taking off Thursday morning from the Indian state of Gujarat. The Boeing 787-7 aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members on board. Air India said later that 69 were Indian nationals, 53 were British nationals, seven were Portuguese and one Canadian national was on board. All but one abroad were killed in the crash that took place in the residential area of Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat. The one passenger who survived was Vishwashkumar Ramesh. Ramesh was filmed walking away from the wreckage. He is a British national of Indian origin. 'Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' Ramesh said to the Hindustan Times on Thursday. Ramesh was visiting family in India for a few days and was returning to the United Kingdom, where he has lived for two decades. 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital,' Ramesh told The Hindustan Times. Ramesh's brother Nayan Kumar said that their father spoke to Vishwashkumar moments before the plane, bound for England's London Gatwick Airport, took off. 'My dad called him. And Vishwash said, 'Oh, we're going to take off soon,' Nayan said in a Thursday interview with Sky News. 'He video called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive – how I exited the plane',' Nayan told the news channel. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who is treating Ramesh at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, told The Associated Press that Ramesh was 'disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body.' 'But he seems to be out of danger,' the doctor told the AP. Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik told Indian news outlet Asian News International that Ramesh was seated in seat 11A in the emergency row. The former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector David Soucie told CNN that the 11A seat is 'right where the spar of the wing would go under and it would be a solid place for the aircraft to hit the ground, but as far as survivability above it, that is incredibly surprising.'
The Hill
12-06-2025
- General
- The Hill
Video shows Air India plane descending, moment of crash
The BBC has verified video footage showing the Air India passenger flight descending moments before it crashed on Thursday. The video was taken from what appeared to be a residential building and shows the AI171 flight descending over a crowded residential area. In the video, the plane continues to lower down until it disappears briefly behind some buildings and trees. Seconds later, fire and smoke erupt from the crash site. The Boeing 787-7 aircraft was headed for England's London Gatwick Airport and crashed shortly after taking off in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. Of the 242 passengers and crew members on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British nationals, one was a Canadian national and seven were Portuguese nationals, according to Air India. Ahmedabad police commissioner G.S. Malik said 204 bodies had been recovered from the site but that rescue workers were still searching through the debris and there could be additional survivors from the flight, The New York Times reported. Malik said 41 people were injured, according to the Times, which reported that it was not clear whether that figure referred to passengers or people on the ground. Malik told The Associated Press, however, that chances of finding survivors are slim. 'It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,' Malik told the AP.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Boeing shares decline 8% pre-market after Air India crash
Shares of North American airplane manufacturer Boeing fell 8% in pre-market trade on NASDAQ after an Air India aircraft crashed near Gujarat's Ahmedabad airport Thursday (June 12, 2025). The private carrier informed that the London-bound Boeing 787-7 aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members combined on board. While the company is yet to make a statement, at the time of writing (6:50 a.m. ET), scrips of the Virginia-headquartered manufacturer were trading 8.02% lower at $196.83. Markets are to open at 9 a.m. ET (around 6:30 p.m. IST). The Boeing airplane crashed within minutes after it took off from Ahmedabad airport at 1:38 p.m. The exact reason for the crash has not been learnt yet. Read: Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crash Live Updates News agency PTI however learnt from senior officials that the aircraft gave a mayday call to ATC after departing from Ahmedabad airport. Thereafter, the ATC received no response to their calls. 'Immediately after departure from Runway 23, the Aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,' the official added. The private carrier has stated that the aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members combined, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.
