Air India Plane Crash Sparks Focus on Critical Landing Systems

— Footage of the Air India aircraft that
crashed
into a residential area highlights possible irregularities that aviation safety officials will investigate to determine the cause of the crash that claimed at least 241 lives.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner seemed to lack adequate propulsion as it slowly traveled almost the entire span of an 11,000-foot runway—a stretch typically long enough for lift-off—stated Bob Mann, who leads the aviation consulting firm RW Mann & Co.

It might result from an incorrect setup of the aircraft before departure or inaccurate weight information inputted into the plane’s computing system, which calculates the necessary thrust for lift-off, he explained. Mann warned that these opinions were informal and unsupported by evidence or recordings from the flight deck, as those devices haven’t been retrieved from the location yet.

Mann explained that if the weight is higher than it should be, the result will be an overly aggressive takeoff. Conversely, if the weight is lower than it ought to be, this leads to insufficient required thrust.

The 787’s landing gear remained extended throughout, as typically it should be retracted shortly after takeoff, according to Jeff Guzzetti, who previously served as the head of accident investigations for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, he mentioned wanting further details regarding the positioning of the aircraft’s flaps—adjustable sections on the wings designed to provide extra lift at takeoff—to ensure they weren’t inadvertently set incorrectly rather than retracting the landing gear.

You won’t notice any signs of smoke, flames, or engines emitting fumes or similar indicators,” Guzzetti stated. “There doesn’t seem to be any visible structural damage happening either. It simply looks as though the aircraft couldn’t ascend after taking off from the runway.

This might be attributed to various factors, according to Guzzetti, such as the flaps being deployed rather than the landing gear, or errors in the programming of the aircraft’s flight control system.

“At present, we simply do not have the information,” he stated.

Mann stated that the flaps seemed to be improperly placed, noting that attempting to correct the flap position afterward might result in an aerodynamic stall.

The Air India Dreamliner, en route from Ahmedabad to London, had 242 people onboard including passengers and crew. Only one person survived the incident.

Experts from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA will head to India to aid in their governmental probe into the accident. Further insights may come to light once officials retrieve the aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder—the so-called black boxes—which hold crucial details regarding the status of the plane’s systems and the actions of the crew during the last minutes of the flight.

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