Connect with us
In focus Magazine March 2025 advertise

Travel

AI-171’s Shocking Crash Raises Alarming Questions

Published

on

AI-171’s Shocking Crash Raises Alarming Questions

The crash of Air India Flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad has left a nation reeling, aviation experts grasping for answers, and grieving families searching for closure. As investigators comb through black box data and reconstruct the final 32 seconds of the flight, one chilling truth is already clear: something went very wrong during takeoff, at the worst possible moment.

This was not a mid-air disaster nor the result of poor visibility or severe weather. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departed under seemingly routine conditions. Yet it consumed the entire 3.5-kilometre runway—a full kilometre more than the aircraft usually needs—before barely lifting off the ground. Just 17 seconds after wheels-up, it began a fatal descent, ending in a fiery crash into a hostel building near the BJ Medical College. The death toll now stands at 270, including dozens on the ground.

A Whisper Before Silence
The last recorded words from the cockpit were devastating in their simplicity: “Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday!” That brief transmission from AI 171 revealed what now seems to be the core issue—insufficient engine thrust during takeoff. But how could a modern aircraft equipped with redundant systems, safety protocols, and rigorous checks fall victim to such a scenario?

The Boeing 787 is a “more-electric” aircraft, replacing many traditional pneumatic and hydraulic systems with electrical ones. This design improves fuel efficiency but increases reliance on electrical stability. One emerging theory suggests an electrical failure affecting the Variable Frequency Starter Generators (VFSGs), crucial for starting engines and powering the aircraft’s control systems. A failure here could prevent the pilots from adjusting thrust, even if the engines were technically running.

Failure in Sequence or in Silence?

Did the Dreamliner suffer a single-engine shutdown, followed by a misstep from the cockpit? Or were both engines affected at once, possibly due to a deeper system failure? Aviation history teaches us that dual-engine failure during takeoff is exceedingly rare. But in the case of AI 171, multiple pilots now believe this may have occurred, either through an electrical fault or an incorrectly input fuel weight calculation that led to underpowered thrust settings.

Some reports point to the potential deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), which automatically activates when both engines fail, supplying minimal electrical power to control flight surfaces. If this were observed, as some claim via blurry footage, it could indicate a catastrophic loss of main engine and backup power systems within seconds of takeoff.

These aren’t just technical footnotes; they are part of a fast-evolving narrative with profound implications. In less than a minute, all layers of the aircraft’s safety net—redundant engines, backup electrical systems, pilot error safeguards—may have been pierced at once.

Beyond the Flight Deck
There’s also speculation about more terrestrial causes. Could the aircraft have been overloaded? A longer takeoff roll and inability to gain altitude could point to a miscalculated takeoff weight. Experts have raised concerns about the possibility of an incorrect zero fuel weight entry, which would lead the flight management system to apply lower thrust levels inappropriate for the aircraft’s actual mass.

Then, there is the human element. The “startle effect” is known to impair pilots’ reactions during unexpected crises. Did confusion in the cockpit contribute to the failure to recover? Was the landing gear retracted, but flaps prematurely stowed? Could it have been sabotage, as anti-terror squads continue to investigate?

No single theory fully explains the cascade of failures that ended AI 171’s journey so abruptly. But each hypothesis points to vulnerabilities—whether in systems, training, or oversight—that must now be addressed with urgency.

An Urgent Call for Reassessment
India’s aviation regulator has already ordered safety checks across the Dreamliner fleet. International investigators from the US and UK are now part of the ongoing probe. But even before conclusive findings are released, this crash is forcing a broader reckoning with aircraft design philosophy, crew preparedness, and emergency system reliability.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the crash site and to survivors underscores the gravity of the event. But beyond symbolic gestures, systemic action is needed. This includes examining how highly automated aircraft interact with their pilots during abnormal situations, and whether enough is being done to train crews for complex failure scenarios involving the increasingly “electric” heart of modern planes.

The sole survivor, 40-year-old Vishwashkumar Ramesh, is a living witness to a tragedy that should never have happened. As DNA samples continue to identify the fallen, and as families mourn both in India and abroad, one thing is certain: the legacy of AI 171 must be one of lessons learned, not just lives lost.