Reports indicate that the pilot
of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner series issued a ‘Mayday’ call shortly after
take-off with no response to subsequent calls from Air Traffic Control. My
heart goes out to those two pilots who, in those final moments, must have
become aware of the fate awaiting them. It is unimaginable what they must have endured.
Perhaps a little mercy—that the
passengers behind the pilots, unaware of the immanent disaster, may have been reminiscing
about cherished moments with their kith and kin that they had left behind or looking
forward to joyful reunions at their destination. But tragically, all those on
board, except for a lone survivor,
perished in the crash and the resulting fire beyond recognition.
The tragedy deepened when the
ill-fated plane rammed through the boys’ hostel of a medical college. At that
time, many MBBS students, aged 18 to 22, were having their lunch in the mess. Reports
state that four students and a postgraduate resident doctor lost their lives,
while many others suffered injuries. Reports also indicate that a number of students
sustained hematoma.
The CCTV footage captured by
the CISF revealed that the aircraft crashed within 40 seconds of becoming air-borne.
Soon after the crash, authorities announced the names of the pilot-in-command
and co-pilot, despite the established international conventions advising
against the immediate release of such information. The pilot-in-command, Sumit
Sabharwal, had 8200 hours of flying experience and the co-pilot, Clive Kunder,
had 1100 hours.
Judging from the videos,
aviation experts speculated that overloading, or a potential bird hit or the
rare instance of both the engines failing could have led to plane not getting
the required ‘lift’ to ascend. Some have said that simultaneous failure of both
the engines during take-off is a rarity—a one in a billion possibility. Some
have stressed on the possibility of plane being overloaded with 242 passengers
and the fuel tank filled fully along with high external temperature might have
caused the plane to stall and drop.
Capt. Ranganathan, aviation
expert, opined that bird ingestion may have happened. Pointing to the landing
gear that did not retract even after attaining a height of 400 ft, he said that
it might have further worsened the ability of the plane climbing higher. Regardless
of what went wrong, experts agreed on one point: The pilots had virtually no
time to regain control of the plane as it began going down.
Amidst widespread speculation
on social media and television channels regarding the cause of the Air India
Boeing 787-8 crash, a video posted by Capt. Steve, a former US navy pilot,
analyzing the cause for the crash has attracted significant attention. Logically
dismissing the possibility of all the three theories that are in circulation, viz.,
twin engine failure, contamination of fuel and bird hit that many have put
forward, he came up with a new theory: the co-pilot may have accidentally
retracted the flaps prematurely instead of the landing gear during take-off,
potentially leading to a critical loss of ‘lift’ required to ascend. But to my
mind, this theory sounds pretty hollow.
However, with the recovery of the
ill-fated aircraft’s black box, investigators from the Aircraft Accident
Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in collaboration with the teams from the US and UK,
are expected to offer definitive insights once the data of black box is
decoded. Until then, the precise cause of the crash remains uncertain.
Interestingly, Captain Steve
came up later with another theory based on his analysis of another video footage
that is sharper than the previous one. Based on it, he, ruling out his earlier
theory, stressed the failure of electric or hydraulic power or a simultaneous
failure of both the engines as the cause for the crash. His revised assessment
is based on three facts identified from the new video: one, the apparent deployed
Ram Air Turbine (RAT)—a device that activates only in the event of significant loss
of power. Second, the distinct sound of RAT that is clearly noticeable from the
video. Third, he quotes the remark of the lone survivor who said that prior to
crash he heard a bang and seen the lights in the plane flicker. Based on all
this evidence he now states that the crash is more due to simultaneous failure
of the twin engines. But there is no cue as to how both the engines might have failed
simultaneously.
Here, it is important to note
that deployment of RAT at such a low altitude is of no use for the pilots to
manage its landing except serving as an evidence about the severe power loss. We
may have to therefore wait for the final outcome of the investigation by the
government agencies for knowing the true cause of this unprecedented tragedy.
Our thoughts remain with the grieving families as they await answers.
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