A horrible, tragic and avoidable crash yesterday in Ahmedabad, India that has already taken the lives of at least 279 people. This unthinkable tragedy should serve as an extremely regrettable chapter in aviation history. The Air India jet, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, had completed 12 years of service transporting passengers. It was on its way to London that it horrifically crashed. Through the storm a resilient survivor would come out the other side of the terrible tragedy’s rubble. Regrettably, the catastrophe killed 38 people on the ground.
The tragedy, which marks the first deadly accident with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has rippled across an entire nation. As these investigations continue to play out, Indian authorities have still not been able to ascertain the cause of this catastrophic occurrence. To India’s credit, its new Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu moved quickly after the incident. He ordered detailed inspections of all Dreamliner aircraft in Air India’s fleet.
Investigation and Response
Officials are now, of course, racing to understand what was happening both from the flight data recorder and, critically, from the cockpit voice recorder as well. These devices of course will provide important data about the engine and control setting immediately at the time of the crash. We’re expecting their findings to be very exciting. Plus, the new voice recorder will shed new light on important cockpit discussions, which could better explain the details surrounding the disaster.
Health officials have started the long and tedious work of identifying crash victims through DNA tests. As of Sunday night, 47 victims were officially identified, with their bodies being released to heartbroken family members. It’s a painstaking process. It considers the emotional burden on families anxiously awaiting information about their loved ones.
“This is a meticulous and slow process, so it has to be done meticulously only,” – Dr Rajnish Patel
In response to the tragedy, Minister Kinjarapu has called for ‘immediate’ safety inspections of Air India’s fleet. With 34 Dreamliners in India, eight of them have already been inspected. The other aircraft will be examined with “the greatest urgency” to protect air travelers.
A Community in Mourning
The families still mourning from the crash and the communities dealing with this tragedy have paid the steepest price. Meanwhile, survivors and family members of the victims continued to process their loss, mourn the dead, and demand accountability. Among them is Mr. Christian, who lamented the loss of his brother, stating, “My brother was the sole breadwinner of the family.” Sad as it is, his statement rings true with all those families who lost a loved one in this avoidable tragedy.
Here’s how these community members are rallying together to support the communities affected by this disaster. Anjana Patel said she hoped the community would join forces to look after those who had been abandoned. “I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us,” she said, highlighting the collective responsibility felt by many.
Not all responses have been positive. Imtiyaz Ali expressed disappointment in the handling of the situation, stating, “I’m disappointed in them. It is their duty.” These types of sentiments are becoming common, with families growing increasingly exasperated in searching for accountability and transparency from airline authorities.
Next Steps
While these investigations proceed, our attention must be placed on ensuring that we understand how to prevent this awful crash from happening again. The Civil Aviation Ministry is working closely with investigation teams. What are the black box results telling us? Together, they are pouring over data from the black boxes to discover what caused this disaster. These findings will be integral to ensuring they are held accountable. They will go a long way in ensuring other communities don’t have to endure what happened to Flint.
The implications of this crash are deep, stretching far past the tragic loss of life. It continues to raise essential discussions around aviation safety standards and regulatory practices in India. Authorities face mounting pressure to ensure rigorous inspections and preventative measures are implemented across all airlines operating in the country.
