Air India AI171 Crash: Report Shows Both Engines Stopped Right After Takeoff
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in India
has released its initial account of the Air India Flight AI171 disaster that
happened in Ahmedabad. That plane, headed to London Gatwick, went down shortly
after taking off on June 12th of last year. It was a terrible event – 260
people died, including 241 passengers and crew, plus 19 people who were on the
ground.
The initial report points to a sudden, simultaneous failure of both engines right after takeoff. Investigators found that the engine switches flipped from their normal RUN position to CUTOFF almost at the same instant, causing a rapid loss of power. According to the cockpit voice recorder, one of the pilots questioned the other, asking why they cut off the engines. The second pilot responded that they didn't do it. This suggests that whatever happened wasn't a deliberate act. It just happened suddently.
The pilots tried to restart the engines moments later. While
one engine did show a response, the aircraft was already too close to the
ground to recover. Tragically, the plane crashed just 30 to 32 seconds after
becoming airborne. During those crucial seconds, the Ram Air Turbine – the
emergency power system – deployed. Also, the pilots managed to send out a
Mayday call in the moments right before impact.
Investigators have determined that the aircraft itself was in good working order before the flight. There were no big mechanical issues, and all the required checks and maintenance records were up to date. The fuel supply was also inspected and found to be free from any contamination. As of this preliminary report, there's no indication of any problems with the engines themselves. The AAIB has not yet recommended any immediate changes or inspections for other airlines operating Boeing 787-8s or using the same engine types.
The investigation team is now concentrating on a detailed review of the cockpit activity and data. They are trying to figure out if the engine shutdown was caused by some kind of technical glitch, human error, or perhaps some kind of problem related to the aircraft's control systems. A final, more complete report will be issued later, hopefully with definite answers about the cause.
The location of the crash made the situation way worse. The
plane went down near the airport and struck a hostel building, causing further
destruction and more loss of life.
