Ahmedabad plane crash: Black box recovered. What will the probe focus on?
Aviation experts believe that the early indications suggest the aircraft may not have been correctly configured for takeoff.
One of the two black boxes from the wreckage of the ill-fated Air India flight 171 were recovered on Friday as investigators intensified efforts to determine what transpired in those 33 seconds mid-air that caused India’s deadliest aviation disaster in three decades.
Experts have raised concerns of possible technical faults, crew miscalculations, and configuration errors in the Boeing 787-8 plane.
One of the black boxes was retrieved from the rooftop of a hostel mess building near the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, where the Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 people on board. The second recorder was also located on Friday, and both are now being examined for clues, officials said. Follow Ahmedabad plane crash live updates.
As experts from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) sifted through twisted metal and scorched debris, a team from Boeing joined the probe on-site. Parts of the aircraft’s two General Electric GEnx engines are being sent to the United States for detailed analysis.
The wreckage will be moved to a secure facility for reconstruction in collaboration with the AAIB, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and other agencies, an official familiar with the probe confirmed.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, has meanwhile ordered targeted safety inspections of all Air India Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 jets.
What are the possible angles the probe will focus on?
The inspections will focus on six critical systems — fuel parameters, fuel flow systems, electronic engine controls, hydraulic systems, and takeoff performance settings. “The order by the DGCA seems to have indicated their suspicion of all that could have led to the B787-8 crash on Thursday,” said aviation expert Amit Singh.
“While the checks mentioned by the DGCA are all performed by the pilots before take-off, they are only a few of the total checks performed. This could imply the regulator may have learnt about snags or probable issues with the aircraft,” he added.
Officials involved in the investigation told the Associated Press that early indications suggest the aircraft may not have been correctly configured for takeoff.
The landing gear was still extended during ascent, and flap components were found strewn across nearby roads in what appeared to be an incorrect take-off setting — factors that may have deprived the aircraft of critical lift.
“We can see what we see on video and all of these potential issues we’re talking about: fuel, engine thrust, settings for the flaps and slats. That’s all going to be recorded on the flight data recorder,” AP quoted aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former US crash investigator, as saying.
He added, “The cockpit voice recorder will hopefully have the discussion between the crew on what kind of performance numbers are being put into the computer.”
Guzzetti and others believe investigators are likely probing whether the engines lost power during takeoff, whether the aircraft’s weight and environmental conditions were correctly input, and whether the crew made configuration errors in setting the flaps and slats.
“The image shows the airplane with the nose rising and it continuing to sink,’’ noted John M. Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems and a former pilot. “That says that the airplane is not making enough lift.’’
Cox added: “It’s hard to tell but from looking at the aircraft from behind … it doesn’t look like that the trailing edge flaps are in the position I would have expected them to be. But I’m very cautious that the image quality is not good enough to make that a conclusion. It’s just an area where I know that they’re going to look.’’
According to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources, the probe is examining potential faults related to engine thrust, flap settings, and the unusual fact that the landing gear remained extended — though a bird-hit has been ruled out as a primary cause. Maintenance issues and crew inputs are also under review.
While officials caution that it is too early to arrive at conclusions, the focus of the investigation is sharpening around a combination of mechanical failure and human error.
