Shortly after taking off, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon killing 241 people.
According to aviation regulators, the pilot issued a MAYDAY call but subsequently failed to respond to repeated communications from air traffic control.
Among the 242 passengers on board were 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Notably, former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also listed as a passenger.
One of the survivors, Vishwas Ramesh, a British national of Gujarati descent, recalled a loud noise seconds after takeoff followed immediately by the plane’s crash. The plane crashed into a residential area, sparking a massive fire and creating panic among residents. Thick black smoke was seen rising from the area.
Several videos surfaced on social media showing the plane struggling to gain altitude before it began losing the lift. It then crashed at 625 feet and exploded into a ball of fire. Losing lift, in the context of flight, refers to the situation where an aircraft is unable to generate enough upward force to maintain or increase altitude.
The exact cause of the accident is not yet known. However, analysing the videos and photos, experts have provided likely causes behind the crash.
What are the likely reasons?
Experts told NDTV that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from the runway at Ahmedabad and experienced meagre thrust soon after.
According to experts, the pilots would have been yanking the yoke at this time to gain lift and altitude. Videos also reportedly showed that the plane's landing gear was also down.
Three senior wide-body pilots, who are also instructors, told PTI that the videos of the accident show the engines couldn't get enough thrust during the takeoff, which resulted in the plane crashing onto buildings in a residential area.
An expert told Hindustan Times that if only one engine failed during takeoff, the aircraft would have swung. However, it was steady and stable. The aviator said this showed the possibility of both engines failing.
“So, there is the possibility of both the engines failing... There could have been a loss of thrust in both engines. But these are only possibilities,” the commander told HT.
Experts told NDTV that 174 knots was the maximum speed the aircraft could achieve. Ideally it should have been higher. The aircraft’s speed indicated that the engines were not generating enough power.
"The take-off was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power, or the aircraft stops developing lift. Obviously, the investigation will reveal the exact reason." Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, told NDTV.
According to another expert, who spoke to HT, another possible reason for the aircraft losing thrust was that both engines might have lost power. “One engine might have failed and possibly due to the landing gear being not retracted after take-off, the second engine might not have had adequate power,” he told HT.
The expert, however, refused the possibility of the aircraft being overburdened. He said the take-off wouldn't have been possible in this scenario.
Air India has set up Friends & Relatives Assistance Centres at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gatwick airports Dedicated passenger hotline number for those calling from within India: 1800 5691 444; and those .calling from outside India: +91 8062779200.
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