Air India's chairman has disclosed crucial details about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad, revealing the aircraft had undergone recent maintenance work before the disaster that claimed at least 270 lives.
N Chandrasekaran, who chairs both Air India and its parent company Tata Group, said that the doomed flight AI171 had "a clean history" with properly maintained engines.
"Both engine histories are clean," he emphasised, explaining that the aircraft's right engine was brand new, having been installed in March.
While the left engine had been serviced in 2023 and wasn't due for its next maintenance check until December, reports the India's Economic Times.
Air India's chairman has disclosed crucial details about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad, revealing the aircraft had undergone recent maintenance work before the disaster that claimed at least 270 lives
Getty
Crash investigators are examining video evidence that appears to show the aircraft's emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed before impact, potentially indicating catastrophic engine failure.
Commercial airline pilot Steve Schreiber, known as Captain Steve, analysed footage showing what he described as a "protrusion on the belly of the aircraft" with a "little grey dot" beneath it.
"The purpose is to provide electrical and hydraulic pressure for the aircraft on an extreme emergency," he explained.
According to Schreiber, only three scenarios could trigger RAT deployment on a 787: "A massive electrical failure, a massive hydraulic failure, or a dual engine failure."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Crash investigators are examining video evidence that appears to show the aircraft's emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed before impact, potentially indicating catastrophic engine failure
Getty
"But I think the fact the aeroplane is mushing out the sky gives the idea it was a dual engine failure," he said.
The chairman defended the crew's competence, noting that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had accumulated more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, while First Officer Clive Kunder had logged over 3,400 hours.
Chandrasekaran described the two pilots as "excellent" and "great professionals", cautioning against premature judgements about the cause of the crash.
"There are speculations about human error, speculations about airlines, speculations about engines, maintenance, all kinds," he told India's Economic Times, warning that people should avoid "jumping to any conclusions".
The Air India chief indicated that a comprehensive investigation into what caused India's worst aviation disaster in nearly three decades could take a month to complete.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the probe, analysing the plane's black boxes alongside UK and US counterparts, though no findings have been released.
Chandrasekaran confirmed he had been in contact with both Boeing and GE Aerospace, the engine manufacturer, "at the highest levels".
The Air India chief indicated that a comprehensive investigation into what caused India's worst aviation disaster in nearly three decades could take a month to complete
Getty
The London-bound flight crashed within one minute after take-off on June 12, killing all passengers and crew except for one survivor, London resident Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who escaped the burning wreckage.
Among the victims were 52 British nationals.
The tragedy marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing Dreamliner since the aircraft entered service.
Most Read
