Latest news with #KeithTonkin
7NEWS
16-06-2025
- General
- 7NEWS
What does an investigation into a major crash look like?
As the world reels from the devastating plane crash in India, everyone is left asking: How does this happen? And what happens next? While rescue teams on the ground are saving lives and retrieving the dead, a whole different yet crucial process begins in the background — the crash investigation. Australian aviation consultant and Managing Director of Aviation Projects Keith Tonkin has shed light on how officials around the globe deal with these tragedies. 'The very first steps are to conduct the rescue and recovery operation,' Tonkin told After these first steps, a complex investigation procedure begins — one that often spans continents, years of research, and ultimately influences the course of aviation safety. Who examines a crash? Under international aviation law, the country where the accident occurred is responsible for carrying out the investigation. In the case of the Air India crash, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is undertaking the investigation. Other countries are introduced based on their association with the event — for example, where the aircraft was built or designed, or whether there were large numbers of victims from another country. 'In the India crash, the United States will be involved because the aircraft was manufactured there,' Tonkin said. 'The UK is also participating because some passengers were British nationals.' What do they look for? Investigators use a combination of physical wreckage, electronic data, and human records to understand what happened during the incident. This includes: The black box — which is actually orange in colour — with flight data and cockpit audio The position of key components — if landing gear was deployed or engines were producing thrust Maintenance records, pilot training logs, and flight dispatch notes Environmental conditions like weather, wind, and visibility Video or audio information recorded by witnesses or onboard systems 'They'll look at physical evidence, witness remarks or telltale signs from the state of the physical aircraft, the engines to see if the engines were generating thrust or not, voice recorder and the flight data recorder that will have data on a number of different parameters of the aircraft for some time prior to the accident,' Tonkin said. How long does it take? These investigations are complex — involving global cooperation, technical reconstruction, and typically grieving families looking for answers. 'Probably expect one and a half or two years to get the full report, but there'll be preliminary results released in a few weeks,' Tonkin said. These preliminary reports can have a bearing on short-term safety suggestions, but it requires the full report to reveal the full picture. Could this ground other planes? When investigators discover a systemic safety risk, the regulators can choose to ground all planes of the model temporarily. That was done with the Boeing 737 MAX in 2019, following two deadly crashes linked to faulty software. 'If there's a systemic issue that relates to a particular aircraft type that needs to be resolved straight away, and that is a real important safety issue, then they will ground the fleet,' Tonkin said. In Australia, Virgin Australia and Bonza operate the Boeing 737 MAX. Its employment has been certified by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and it is regularly monitored for worldwide incidents. Can crashes change world aviation? Yes. Most of the most significant developments in aviation safety — from enhanced cockpit alerts to stricter maintenance schedules — were born out of tragedy. 'They can all be influenced by the results of these investigations,' Tonkin said. If an accident reveals shortcomings in the design, maintenance or operation of an aircraft, lessons are shared worldwide. The International Civil Aviation Organisation allows worldwide rule changes to prevent future catastrophes. What about the airline? Restoring confidence may be a difficult and lengthy process for the participating carrier — in this case, Air India. 'People will be rightfully concerned about hopping on another aircraft,' Tonkin said. Tonkin said that the airline has to 'double down on responding to whatever the findings are from the investigation' and take measures to prevent a repeat. Each crash has long-term consequences for passengers, airlines, regulators, and the global flying public. These investigations don't just tell us what went wrong — they make sure it doesn't happen again.
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
‘Something horrible': Experts analyse Air India crash
A plane disaster that killed hundreds of people in India has shocked the aviation world as experts try to process how it unfolded. Air India Flight 171 crashed into a residential area within seconds of lift-off at Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 on board and others at the crash site. One passenger miraculously survived after boarding the flight bound for London's Gatwick Airport on Thursday, as speculation mounts over what caused the tragedy. Keith Tonkin, an aviation consultant, told that although the cause was not yet clear, it was obvious that 'something horrible has happened'. 'Whether it's to do with the engines or some other, equipment on the aircraft, it's not really obvious at the moment,' he said. 'The fact that the landing gear was left down tells me that they either did that deliberately or for some reason, didn't have enough time to think of doing that when they probably should have. 'And that could mean that they had other things that they were dealing with at the time. 'So there's a little, little moment in time somewhere between taking off and somewhere in that very short climb out where something horrible is happening that the pilots weren't able to manage.' Mr Tonkin said the short time frame between take off and the crash was 'very unusual' compared to other air disasters. 'Because it's so close to this time start of the flight,' he said. 'Normally, you have an opportunity when you're taking an aircraft off to stop if it's not working properly. 'And so the pilots have got to a point where they just sort of continue that take off. And very shortly after that, the aircraft has stopped operating as you'd expect it to. 'So everything has been compressed into a very short time frame that you would not normally see.' Peter Carter, an aviation lawyer, said it did not appear to be an engine failure but was 'likely a case of aircraft configuration and the physics of airspeed, lift and drag'. 'The first thing that needs to be determined is whether the pilot chose an intersection departure rather than backtracking on the runway to make use of its full length of 3,500m. He said Flight Radar 24 appeared to show the aircraft did not backtrack to use the full length of the runway, which could have meant 'it did not have sufficient speed to safely 'rotate' and lift off by the time it arrived at the runway's end'. But, he added, it was possible this was an error by the flight tracking software. 'It also appears from the video that the landing gear was still in the 'down' position at a height it would normally be retracted so as to reduce drag and assist the aircraft's climb. 'And from the video it's unclear whether the flaps were in the takeoff position as they were required to be, so as to increase the lift on the wings during the initial climb.' Chrystal Zhang, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said that based on the footage she did not believe the crash was caused by a bird strike – as has been speculated. 'There are some facts that perhaps we cannot deny,' she said. 'The weather is clear, so it's good for takeoff. There is nothing hindering the aircraft from taking off. 'So weather wise, perhaps, is being ruled out at this stage. 'So in that case, the focus is really to understand how the pilots are operating and whether there are any other issues.' Although global air safety records are improving, Ms Zhang said some countries were still catching up. 'There has been some report saying that the air safety record in India had been experiencing issues and problems,' she said. 'In particular with increasing demand with the increase of the middle class and also the emergence of the low-cost carriers.' Tourism expert David Beirman said it was important to put the incident into context, saying, 'air travel statistically is probably the safest way to travel anywhere in the world'. 'So when you have an air crash off of the scale that that happened last night, it becomes big news because it is very rare that that such a such an incident occurs,' he said. 'From everything that's been said so far, it seems to have been a mechanical problem in the plane, which is very, very rare. 'The pilot was incredibly experienced, so I think it had 8000 hours or something.' Dr Beirman said it was a 'terrible tragedy' but a 'very unusual' incident. 'So I don't think it actually compromises the safety of the air travel as a whole, but it certainly will be a big question for Air India, who I'm sure will be investigating this one very carefully.'
News18
13-06-2025
- General
- News18
Air India Plane In Ahmedabad Crash Had Flown To Paris, Other Foreign Cities This Month
Last Updated: The plane with registration number VT-ANB was supposed to return from London today and land in Goa. It was to then fly to Delhi today. The ill-fated Air India aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12, had flown to several international destinations this month, including Melbourne, Paris, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Zurich, Milan and Amsterdam. These were long-haul flights like the one headed to London on Thursday from Ahmedabad. The aircraft took 19 flights this month itself, including multiple trips to Paris. The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which is a mid-size, twin-engine, wide-body jet airliner. The plane with registration number VT-ANB was supposed to return from London today and land in Goa. It was to then fly to Delhi today. The last successful flight that this aircraft took was from Delhi to Ahmedabad on the morning of July 12. Before this, this aircraft had flown from Delhi to Paris and back on June 11. On June 9-10, this aircraft had flown the Delhi-Tokyo sector and the Delhi-Melbourne Sector on June 8. On June 7, this aircraft had flown the Delhi-Paris sector again, and on June 6, the flight had flown the Delhi-Frankfurt sector. On June 5, the flight had flown the Delhi-Paris sector as well. The aircraft took a break on June 4. On June 3, the aircraft flew from Delhi to Milan, Italy, and back. On June 2, this aircraft flew the Delhi-Zurich sector, and the Delhi-Amsterdam sector on June 1. Daily Mail reported quoting an Aviation Projects managing director Keith Tonkin that investigations into the crash would be needed to determine whether there was a technical fault with the plane that was present during the Melbourne journeys. Hours after the tragic crash, the authorities found the black boxes that will help in revealing what triggered the accident. The black box was seized by the NSG on Thursday. Air India confirmed that 241 on board the doomed flight on Thursday had died while only one passenger survived. The plane crashed into a medical college hostel mess area in Ahmedabad, resulting in fatalities on the ground too. A total of 265 bodies, including medical students, were taken to the city's civil hospital till late Thursday night, a police official told news agency PTI. The postmortem of all the bodies was completed, and preparations were underway to preserve them. The pilot, co-pilot, and one crew member have been identified. The bodies of 10 medical students have also been identified. First Published: June 13, 2025, 09:27 IST
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Air India crash: How the plane travelled to and from Melbourne Airport just days ago
A doomed plane left Australia just days before it crashed killing more than 240 people in what experts are calling the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. Air India flight AI171 crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad, a city in western India, for London on Thursday afternoon. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was bound for Gatwick Airport, south of London, carrying 242 passengers when it crashed into a medical college hostel. On June 8, just four days before the crash, the same plane flew in-and-out from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, a 20 minute drive north-east of the CBD. Flight AI308 landed in Melbourne at 9.08pm on Sunday before taking off for a return flight AI309 to Delhi at 11.18pm, according to FlightRadar 24. A spokesperson for Melbourne Airport confirmed the flight data with Daily Mail Australia. It landed at 7.06am before running flights to and from Tokyo and Paris over the next three days before arriving at Ahmedabad at 11.16am on the morning of June 12. Aviaton Projects managing director Keith Tonkin told Daily Mail Australia investigations into the crash would help to determine whether the incident could theoretically have occurred in Melbourne. 'Investigators will focus on what happened in the time period between the pilots deciding to continue the take-off at their decision point and the point at which the aircraft started its downward trajectory towards the impact site,' he said. 'Was there a sudden loss of thrust, were the lift devices on the wings correctly configured, and why wasn't the landing gear retracted? 'If the primary causal factor(s) could be replicated at a different airport under similar circumstances, then it would be fair to conclude that the accident could happen at Melbourne Airport.' The plane, whose registration number was VT-ANB, would erupt in a fiery explosion seen streets over moments after taking off at 1.38pm that same day. A video posted to social media depicted the plane struggling to stay aloft while its tail dragged lower than its nose before disappearing from view behind apartment buildings. Moments later, a fireball erupted over the skyline after it crashed into BJ Medical College Hostel directly south-west of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Air India has since confirmed only one passenger, a British man, survived the crash with additional deaths on the ground also having been reported. Images taken by Associated Press captured the ash-strewn interior of the medical college hostel canteen, where half-eaten dishes remained after the lunch-hour crash. Search and recovery teams are pictured working through the rubble of the plane crash The Federation of All India Medical Association said between 50 and 60 students were admitted to hospital following the crash. Indian civil aviation authorities have confirmed personnel on the plane placed a mayday call to air traffic control less than a minute after take-off. FlightTracker24 said the plane careened towards the ground at a speed of approximately 475feet (or 145metres) per minute. It is not yet known what caused the crash though US transportation secretary Sean Duffy has said there was 'no indication' of safety concerns with the aircraft model. Hindustan Times identified the sole survivor of the crash as British father Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, who was reportedly assigned seat 11A. 'Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,' he told the Indian English-language newspaper from a local hospital. 'It all happened so quickly.' Air India said the passengers of the flight included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian nationals. A source told Reuters 217 adults were onboard the flight along with 11 children and two infants. It is believed to be the deadliest aviation incident since all 298 passengers of flight MH17 died after the jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014. World leaders have issued messages of support, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who described the incident as 'heartbreaking beyond words'.
