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The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Delay in revealing details about Air India crash is causing anxiety
Two weeks have passed since the fatal crash of Air India flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad on June 12. The vital digital flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) have been recovered. Initial reports mentioned they were damaged and were being sent to the U.S. for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to decode. Subsequently, authorities announced it was being decoded in India. With rumours and theories going around, blaming the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, and various YouTube experts dishing out various interpretations, there is fear not only among the passengers but also the operating crew of Air India. The continued procrastination in coming out with information that could put to rest the wild rumours and the silence by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as well as the airline, compel me to reassure the public that flying is safe, and it is the system that is at fault. The only visual clue we have is the CCTV footage released by the airport operator. Though it does not show the first part of the take-off run, it does provide vital clue about the second part, and why 'human error', and not the aircraft, is at fault. If the entire take-off sequence was available in the video, it would have put to rest the rumour that the flight did not use the full length of the runway but took off from an intersection. It was clarified by the flight tracker service provider that the full length was used but a new doubt has sprung up: if the aircraft used the turning pad before the end of the runway to expedite departure. It's hoped that in the interest of Air India and Boeing, the DFDR findings would be released immediately. Going by the footage, one can see the aircraft emerging from the right at the four-second mark. In that frame, one can see an aircraft taxiing on Taxiway B to turn into the parallel taxi track. The B intersection is approximately 600 feet from runway 23-end. All the main wheels and the nose wheel of AI 171 are on the runway as it passes the B intersection in the seventh second of the video. This is a clear indication that the aircraft has not reached the minimum speed for lift-off. At the eight-second mark, AI 171 is almost at the end of the runway and has not rotated for take-off. Take-off rotation is close to five seconds, and at a speed of 174 knots (as mentioned in some of the radar plots), the aircraft would cover close to 1,500 feet in that period. That would take it well into the overrun area, which is not paved and which will have compacted sand and gravel. The first sign of rotation appears at the 15-second mark and one can see a cloud of dust rising. A couple of seconds later, one can see the aircraft nose yaw (swing) to the right, indicating right-engine failure. One can see the exhaust from the left engine for the next three seconds, blowing dust and debris away. The left engine also stops, and the aircraft nose-high attitude clearly indicates impending stall. The ingestion of debris into the engine and possible bird ingestion during the flight portion on the overrun area, could have resulted in both engines failing due to foreign object damage. Birds, though not visible in the low-resolution footage, must be there as the runway and the taxiway at the Ahmedabad airport are surrounded by lush growth of grass and weeds. That is visible in the video footage. Many questions The questions that arise are: 1) Was a wrong weight and temperature entered in the Flight Management Computer? 2) Did the pilots not use the full length of the runway for take-off, considering the high temperature? 3) Why did the pilots not recognise a slower than normal acceleration? Were they not observing the Speed Trend Vector on the Primary Flight Display Speed Tape? The trend vector would have indicated the estimated speed in 10 seconds, and at 100 knots, it should be showing more than the V2 speed. If they recognised that, why did they not reject the take-off when they still had 3,000 feet of runway left? The aircraft could have safely stopped by the end of the runway. 4) Even when they were approaching B intersection and they recognised insufficient speed, they had 600 feet of runway, 60 metres of paved strip at the end of the runway, and another 240 metres of firm ground as Runway End Safety Area (RESA). This 1,600-feet-plus clear space beyond the boundary wall would have been sufficient for stopping with maximum brakes and max-reversers. The aircraft may have been damaged but a safe stop could have been achieved. The lack of situational awareness and performance knowledge is an area of concern. The training appears to be deficient when it comes to runway markings. Air India has a history of not recognising the runway markings and touchdown areas. 1) January 20, 1999: VT-EVA Air India B-747-400 at Frankfurt. Probable cause: 'The ground contact about 1,000m in front of the touchdown zone (coming short) was the consequence of an unstabilised final approach which was not discontinued by initiating a go-around procedure in a timely manner. The contributing factors were: 1. The glideslope interception from above; 2. A hydraulic malfunction during the approach requiring to perform the referring checklist; 3. The rapid deterioration of the visibility; 4. The continuation of the manual approach although the flight crew was not qualified for CAT II/III approaches; and 5. Poor crew co-ordination and missing crew resource management.' 2) May 22, 2010: Air India Express 812: High and fast approach and late touch down resulted in overrun and fatal crash 3) January 14, 2014: Air India B 787-800, registration VT-ANM, performing flight AI-301 from Sydney, NS to Melbourne,VI (Australia), was descending towards Melbourne International airport. The aircraft aligned with Melbourne's Essendon Airport's runway 35 (1,500 metres/4,930 feet length) and descended towards that runway when the air traffic controller intervened, instructing the crew to turn left and subsequently telling the crew their runway was in their two o'clock position, they were still cleared for the visual approach runway 34. 4) September 7, 2018: Air India 263 operating on Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram-Male sector, touched down on under construction runway at Male. 5) August 7, 2020: Air India Express 1344 overshot the runway, resulting in 21 fatalities. The approach was high and fast and there was a very late touchdown. 6) December 5, 2024: An Air India flight (AI2592) from Mopa Airport to Hyderabad was involved in a serious incident where the pilots attempted to take off from a taxiway instead of the designated runway. The ATC instructed the pilots to reject the take-off. All these point to serious deficiencies in training and safety standards. Fatigue and stress, which is adding to human errors, is another area that the airline has to address. So many lives have been lost and there is a fear induced by the lack of human failure understanding. There is no accountability and the Tatas will need to take a very bold stand to correct the drift. A captain returning from take-off point or cabin crew reporting sick due to fear are not healthy trends for portraying a safe airline culture. The Tatas and Boeing have to come out with some positive information as soon as possible to reassure the pilots, crew, and public. Procrastination will cost them a huge price. Captain A. Ranganathan is a former airline instructor pilot and aviation safety adviser. He is also a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC), India.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Air India plane crash: Black box in India, with Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, says minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu
Following media reports that the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 that crashed in Ahmedabad has been sent to the United States for data retrieval and analysis, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu clarified on Tuesday that it is currently in India with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). 'It (the black box) is in India. It is all speculation that it has been sent outside. The AAIB is taking care of it according to the rules and procedures. The panel is already in, the investigation started from day one,' Naidu said, speaking to the media at the 7th Helicopter and Small Aircraft Summit in Pune. Asked when the data retrieval from the black box was expected, Naidu said, 'This is a very technical matter. The AAIB is doing it, so let them. I do not want to put any pressure…Let them go through the whole process. They are in charge of the investigation.' Previously, the aviation ministry had said in a statement, 'The decision regarding the location for decoding the flight recorders will be taken by the AAIB after due assessment of all technical, safety, and security considerations.' The London-bound Air India flight with 242 people on board crashed into a medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar on June 12, moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 on board and several on the ground. The AI171 aircraft was equipped with two black boxes—the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the digital flight data recorder (DFDR). The CVR records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, like conversations between the pilots and engine noises. The DFDR records over 80 different types of information, such as altitude, airspeed, flight heading, autopilot status, etc. Black boxes are stored inside a unit generally made of strong materials like steel or titanium to keep them safe during crashes. Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Indian Express
5 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
‘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.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Wreckage of Air India flightmoved for further analysis
The Gujarat Police has started shifting the wreckage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad on June 12 to a site near the city's airport, where investigators will attempt to piece the debris back together for analysis. A truck carrying wreckage of the Air India plane that recently crashed into a medical hostel and its canteen complex passes by, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday. (PTI) 'The pieces are being moved from the crash site. Some were relocated on Saturday, and the work continued on Sunday. Every piece of wreckage is being transported from the crash site to a new location for reconstruction,' said Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik. Officials aware of the matter said it would take between 48 and 72 hours to move the entire wreckage of the nearly 120-tonne aircraft, which plunged into the BJ Medical College hostel 33 seconds after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, killing all but one of its 242 passengers and crew and at least 30 people on the ground. Also Read | DGCA introduces special audits after Air India crash HT had reported on June 20 that the debris are being moved to a site near the Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) office near the airport, on land owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which has been identified for use in the ongoing investigation. 'Reconstructed parts of the aircraft will be examined to determine what led to the crash. The black box will be analysed as part of this process,' Malik said. Also Read | Ahmedabad crash victim's mortal remains reach Manipur, thousands pay tributes India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash, while the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading a parallel international investigation into the plane crash. At least 247 persons killed in the crash have so far been identified through DNA matching and 232 bodies handed over to their families, as per officials. Both sets of flight recorders from the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner have been recovered - the first combined Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) unit was found on June 13, with the second set located on June 16. The B787 aircraft model carries two black box sets – one under the cockpit and the other in the tail section -- as standard. The debris removal and transportation process typically involves careful cataloguing and preservation of aircraft components that could provide crucial evidence about the crash sequence. Investigators must maintain a strict chain of custody for all materials, with larger structural components often moved to specialised facilities where they can be reconstructed to understand the aircraft's final moments. Critical components like engines and control surfaces undergo detailed metallurgical and mechanical analysis to identify any failures or anomalies that may have contributed to the accident.
NDTV
20-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
Exclusive: How Air India Flight's Black Box Was Damaged And What Comes Next
New Delhi: The black box units from the wreckage of Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed 36 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 274 people, including 33 on the ground, have sustained damage. According to aviation sources speaking to NDTV, one of the black boxes is visibly more damaged than the other, likely due to a fall during or after the crash. Both the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), collectively referred to as the "black boxes", are currently in secure custody under the supervision of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Sources involved in the crash investigation told NDTV that a preliminary inspection shows external structural compromise, which, if not handled delicately, could risk internal data integrity. What We Know 1. Two black box units have been recovered - one unit is more damaged than the other. 2. A decision on what to do with the black boxes will be taken soon. 3. Options under consideration: The black boxes may be sent to a HAL facility near Lucknow, the NTSB in the United States, the Civil Aviation Authority in the United Kingdom, or to Singapore. 4. One of the black boxes has sustained damage to its outer surface. This damage occurred as a result of a fall. 5. The data on both the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) is stored in binary format. This data must be converted into an engineering format, after which information will become accessible. The interpretation of this data will form the basis of the crash report. 6. It remains unclear whether a preliminary report or a final report will be issued. 7. Investigators are concerned about opening the damaged black box due to the condition of its outer casing. 8. It is possible that data from the second, undamaged unit can be retrieved within India. 9. India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has stepped up randomised surveillance of relevant flights during the interim period. 10. The investigation will include analysis of debris samples and material samples from the surface of the runway. 11. Sabotage also needs to be ruled out. 12. Sources on the crash of AI-171 stated: "This is a mystery." What Is A Black Box The black box from the doomed Air India flight was recovered Monday, 28 hours after the crash. The 'black boxes' are actually bright orange in colour to help locate them from debris and wreckage. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) captures up to 25 hours of cockpit conversations, noise, radio calls with air traffic control, and audible alerts in newer aircraft models. However, AI-171 was operating a Boeing 787 delivered in 2014, prior to the 2021 mandate for 25-hour CVR storage. Therefore, the recorder likely had a two-hour recording capacity. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR), on the other hand, collects parameters such as altitude, airspeed, heading, vertical acceleration, and control surface movements, among others. In modern jets like the 787-8, FDRs can record thousands of parameters simultaneously and loop for over 25 hours. The Crash And Its Aftermath The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner registered VT-ANB, lifted off at 1:39 PM on June 12 from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, en route to London Gatwick. Less than a minute into the flight, the pilots transmitted a distress call citing loss of thrust. Radio contact was subsequently lost. Seconds later, the aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a residential area near Meghani Nagar, adjacent to the airport's northeast perimeter. It ignited a blaze on impact, damaging a medical college hostel and killing 33 people on the ground. The sole survivor, seated in 11A, is a British-Indian man who was thrown clear of the wreckage.
