Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, tragically crashed in a residential area of Ahmedabad, India, shortly after take-off on June 12. The flight, which was headed from New York City to London, had 242 people onboard in total. In what would turn out to be a tragically enough, one passenger was the lone crash survivor. In reality, 19 more public servants who lived on the ground made the ultimate sacrifice. With a death toll of over 170, this quick accident has become the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
The flight’s commanding pilot, Sumeet Sabharwal had an awesome 15,638 hrs of flying experience. Along with working at PilotsChoice, he has operated as an instructor for Air India in the past. His co-pilot, 32-year old Clive Kunder, had logged 3,403 hours of flying. Combined, they’d croaked out about 9,000 hours between them on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The Incident
That doomed flight had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. Only 32 seconds into its maiden flight, the aircraft experienced the total failure of a key aircraft system. Eyewitnesses reported hearing SOS messages from the cockpit. Seconds before the plane went down, the flight crew called out, “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY.”
Preliminary findings have indicated the plane’s fuel control switches were toggled off only three seconds after take-off. Captain Cornell, an aviation expert, commented on the interim report:
“The interim report provides adequate detail on the disposition of the aircraft, but doesn’t explain why — during what up until that point was a normal take-off — the fuel control switches were moved to the cut-off position.”
This central fact leads to some troubling questions about what went wrong in those deadly few minutes right after take-off. Captain Cornell further elaborated on the situation:
“It’s not the situation where you would just both be sitting there very quietly.”
The shocking details of the crash have investigators and aviation professionals around the country clamoring for further information.
Investigation Insights
Captain Cornell stated:
“It’s a very busy time trying to work out what had happened and trying to fix it.”
Keith Tonkin, another aviation analyst, emphasized the significance of pilot actions in this scenario:
“It means that almost certainly, one of the pilots — who would be the only people able to access those switches — has made the decision to physically switch the fuel off to the engines.”
This declaration makes it known that an accident may result from human error or an unexpected complication at take-off. Investigators are extensively into the data from the black boxes and flight data records. Their goal is to identify what led the pilots to make such a critical decision.
Aftermath and Community Impact
Details surrounding the tragic incident have shaken the aviation community to its core. It has made an indelible impact on the lives of Ahmedabad’s residents. Investigators are working diligently to uncover every detail surrounding the crash to ensure accountability and improve safety measures in future flights.
Captain Cornell noted that there is a heightened interest in understanding this incident:
“Everyone who has an interest in the safety of aviation will now keenly await publication of the final report.”
The causal disruption of lives lost and the safety-first facade being through with red flags all over the operation have created deep concerns about airline operations. Air India has expressed full cooperation with investigators as they continue to determine what caused this tragic accident.
