Latest news with #MurlidharMohol
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Air India investigators probing whether fatal flight that crashed killing 260 was 'sabotaged'
There has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, but this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged they are looking into it. Air India investigators are probing whether a tragic plane crash which killed 260 people was caused by 'sabotage'. India's Minister of State for Civil Aviation said investigators are assessing the tragic Air India plane crash, which killed 241 people onboard and 19 on the ground earlier this month. Only one passenger, British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash on June 12, which happened shortly after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad in western India. The plane, with 52 Brits on board, was bound for London Gatwick. An investigation was immediately launched after the tragedy, and the Indian government has now revealed investigators are looking into sabotage as a possible cause. Murlidhar Mohol, the country's Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said: 'The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full probe. It is being assessed from all angles, including any possible sabotage.' There has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, but this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged they are looking into it as a possible cause of the crash. On Thursday, the country's civil aviation ministry said investigators had begun analysing data extracted from the black boxes of the plane. The data is crucial as it will help shed light on the cause of the crash. 'These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences,' the ministry said. The probe is being carried out by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, with support from the US National Transport Safety Board. Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site a couple of days after the crash. These boxes - which are typically orange, not black - are considered the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash. There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to the national capital, New Delhi, in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months. In addition to the investigation, the Indian government has also set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future. The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months. The Air India Flight 171 disaster is the most deadly aviation incident involving British nationals since 9/11. Addressing what happened before the incident, sole survivor Mr Ramesh said: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. "Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white. The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded." Following the crash, Indian authorities ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents. The airline has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet. Inspection has been completed for at least 26, while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India investigators probing whether deadly plane crash was 'sabotage'
India's Minister of State for Civil Aviation said investigators are assessing whether the tragic Air India plane crash, which killed 260 people, might have been 'sabotage' Air India investigators are probing whether the tragic plane crash that killed 241 people onboard and 19 on the ground earlier this month could have been caused by sabotage. Only one passenger, British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash on June 12, which happened shortly after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad in western India. The plane, with 52 Brits on board, was bound for London Gatwick. An investigation was immediately launched after the tragedy - and the Indian government has now revealed investigators are looking into sabotage as a possible cause. Murlidhar Mohol, the country's Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said: "The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full probe. It is being assessed from all angles, including any possible sabotage." There has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, but this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged they are looking into it as a possible cause of the crash. On Thursday, the country's civil aviation ministry said investigators had begun analysing data extracted from the black boxes of the plane. The data is crucial as it will help shed light on the cause of the crash. "These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences," the ministry said. The probe is being carried out by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, with support from the US National Transport Safety Board. Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site a couple of days after the crash. These boxes - which are typically orange, not black - are considered the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash. There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to the national capital, New Delhi, in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months. In addition to the investigation, the Indian government has also set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future. The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months. Following the crash, Indian authorities ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents. The airline has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet. Inspection has been completed for at least 26, while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon.
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Investigators look into Air India sabotage theory
Indian authorities are investigating the possibility that sabotage could have caused the deadly Air India crash. Murlidhar Mohol, India's civil aviation minister, said investigators were examining all possibilities, including sabotage, that could have led to Air India Flight 171 plunging from the skies shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12. The crash killed at least 260 people, leaving only one survivor and was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. Mr Mohol said: 'It was an unfortunate incident. The AAIB [Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau] has begun a full investigation into it ... It is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage. 'The CCTV footage is being reviewed and all angles are being assessed ... several agencies are working on it.' The AAIB, assisted by American and British teams, is analysing the plane's voice and data recorders, known as black boxes, and has yet to comment on any findings. The minister called the crash a 'rare case' and, referring to claims by veteran pilots and experts that a dual-engine failure may have led to the crash, said: 'It has never happened that both engines have shut down together.' 'Once the report comes, we will be able to ascertain if it was an engine problem or fuel supply issue or why both engines had stopped functioning. 'There is a CVR [cockpit voice recorder] in the black box which has stored the conversation between the two pilots. It is too early to say anything, but whatever it is, it will come out. The report will come in three months.' The investigation is also looking at engine thrust, flap settings and why the landing gear remained extended, anonymous sources told Reuters. Maintenance records and crew actions are under review, while a bird strike has reportedly been ruled out. The assessment will also look at airport surveillance footage, radio communications and environmental conditions at the time of take-off. India's government said the process of data extraction from the black boxes started on June 24 with a team of Indian and US experts, including some from the US National Transportation Safety Board.
Observer
6 hours ago
- General
- Observer
India crash probe looking at all angles: minister
NEW DELHI: An Indian aviation minister on Sunday said investigators were probing "all angles" behind an Air India crash when asked by media about possible sabotage. All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground, but a police source said after the crash that the toll was 38. India's minister of state for civil aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, said the investigation was looking at "all angles" when asked specifically about possible "sabotage", in an interview with Indian news channel NDTV. "It has never happened before that both engines have shut off together," Mohol said earlier. The minister added that until the investigation report is published, it would be premature to comment on the cause. The team appointed to investigate the crash started extracting data from the plane's cockpit voice and flight data recorders this week, in an attempt to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the disaster. Air India has said that the plane was "well-maintained" and that the pilots were accomplished flyers. — AFP
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Was the Air India crash deliberate? Sabotage theory ignites probe, Indian minister breaks silence
Published on Jun 29, 2025 09:28 PM IST Two weeks after the tragic AI171 crash, India's civil aviation ministry has dropped a bombshell. Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol confirmed sabotage is among the angles being probed. CCTV footage, ATC logs, and the black box are now under intense review. 260 people died in the crash after the plane plunged into a building. The DGCA found no faults in other Dreamliners. Could this be more than a rare accident?
