A pilot has suggested that a critical mistake by the co-pilot might have led to the devastating Air India Flight AI171 disaster, which claimed 241 lives aboard the aircraft and additional casualties on the ground.
Captain Steve Scheibner, a former American Airlines pilot, has proposed that the co-pilot could have mistakenly activated the flap controls when instructed to raise the landing gear, potentially triggering the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fatal descent.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Scheibner said: "I think the pilot flying said to the co-pilot, 'gear up' at the appropriate time.
"I think the co-pilot grabbed the flap handle and raised the flaps, instead of the gear. If that happened, this explains a lot of why this aeroplane stopped flying."
The plane crash landed, killing all but one person on board
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Wreckage of the plane following the crash
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Under normal circumstances, aircraft wings flex upward as aerodynamic forces generate the lift required for ascent.
However, if the flaps were mistakenly raised whilst the aircraft was still at low speed and altitude, the sudden loss of lift would make it impossible for the pilots to maintain controlled flight.
Aviation specialists studying the footage have noted anomalies in the aircraft's configuration during its ascent.
Marco Chan, a former pilot and senior lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University, told the BBC: "That would point to potential human error if flaps aren't set correctly. But the resolution of the video is too low to confirm that."
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The investigation has revealed that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal possessed 8,200 flying hours whilst co-pilot Clive Kunder had accumulated 1,100 hours of experience.
Both men are believed to have perished in the crash.
Indian air accident investigators have announced plans to conduct interviews with pilots and cabin crew who operated the aircraft during the week preceding the disaster.
Sources close to the investigation said that authorities have begun extracting and analysing data from the recovered flight recorders.
The inquiry is examining multiple factors, including engine performance, flap settings and the failure to retract the landing gear.
The crash claimed the lives of 270 people
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A firefighter works at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area GETTY
Additionally, investigators intend to scrutinise Air India's maintenance procedures and records for the ill-fated aircraft.
Boeing's safety record has come under scrutiny following comments from Ed Pierson, a former manager at the aerospace manufacturer, who suggested that previously raised concerns about production standards could be connected to the tragedy.
Pierson, who testified before the US Congress regarding safety issues with Boeing's 737 Max in 2019, told NDTV that the company's production facilities were "chaotic and dangerous".
He stated: "We were rushing to build the planes to get them out of the door. Employees were pressured to get their work done."
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