Flaps were deployed, but AI 171 crash points to engine failure: Investigation finds
Srinagar, July 2: A flight simulation of Air India’s AI 171 has ruled out flight conditions alone as the cause of last month’s crash, shifting focus to a possible dual engine failure, according to a report.
The Ahmedabad–London flight AI 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all 260 people — 241 on board and 19 on the ground.
Bloomberg reported that a simulation conducted by Air India pilots as part of the investigation found that factors like deployed landing gear and retracted wing flaps were not solely responsible, and dual engine failure is now being closely examined as a likely cause.
Video from the time of the crash showed the aircraft failing to lift after take-off. Moments after take-off and just a few hundreds of feet in the air, the aircraft started to fall and eventually crashed within minutes into the BJ Medical College in the vicinity of the airport. Only one person in the plane, a passenger, survived.
Boeing declined to comment and deferred any questions to AAIB, while GE said it cannot comment on an active investigation. The AAIB and Air India did not respond to a request for comment.
Whether or why both engines would have simultaneously lost power remains unknown, but investigators will seek additional clues from the two flight recorders, whose data has been extracted and is undergoing analysis. The investigation is exploring a wide range of scenarios, though a closer focus is on technical issues, the people said.
Wreckage analysis indicates that the wing flaps and slats—critical for generating lift during takeoff—were correctly deployed. The crash marks the deadliest incident in Indian civil aviation in decades and is the first recorded loss of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in an accident.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the pilots, who perished in the crash, issued a Mayday call just moments after takeoff. There were only around 15 seconds between the distress signal and the impact.
