Did double engine failure cause the Air India plane crash? PIB fact-checks

A post doing the rounds on WhatsApp claims that the AAIB probe revealed that a double engine failure was the reason behind the Ahmedabad plane crash.

Days after the deadly Air India plane crash claimed 270 lives, a report claiming to reveal the findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has made rounds of social media, especially WhatsApp.

Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad.(AFP)

The Press Information Bureau's fact-checking unit has dismissed this report as "fake."

The fake report claims that the AAIB probe revealed that a double engine failure was the reason behind the Ahmedabad plane crash.

Furthermore, the WhatsApp forward message also claims that Air India flight 171 has headed to London's Heathrow airport, which is false. Based on the information issued by the airline itself, the flight took off from Ahmedabad for London's Gatwick airport.

The post also claims that a total of 243 people were on board the flight, which is false. A total of 242 people were on board the Gatwick-bound flight, which included 12 cabin crew members and 230 passengers.

What was the reason behind the crash? 

Following the plane crash in Ahmedabad, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau stated it will be carrying out a probe into the incident.

Along with AAIB, investigators from the US, UK and Boeing will also be looking into the matter to ascertain the reason behind the deadly plane crash.

As of now, none of the agencies has released their reports. Both black boxes of AI flight 171 have been recovered. The second black box contains the voice recorder for the Boeing 787 aircraft and the first one holds the flight data. 

Air India's flight 171 took off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport on Thursday - June 12, for London's Gatwick Airport. The flight, crashed seconds after its takeoff, killing 241 passengers and cabin crew on board. The only sole survivor of the flight was a 40-year-old British national who was seated near the emergency exit. 

The plane crash into a student hostel of BJ Medical College, killing 29 people on ground and taking the total death toll to 270.