New Delhi– As calls grow louder for accountability and stringent safety inspections of Boeing aircraft in the wake of the devastating crash of Air India flight AI-171, the Federation of Indian Pilots Association has offered support to the flight crew and weighed in on possible causes behind the tragedy.
Captain C.S. Randhawa, President of the Federation, defended the credentials of Captain Sumit Sabharwal, one of the pilots of the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, highlighting his extensive experience of over 8,000 flight hours. Randhawa also provided a detailed breakdown of several potential technical and situational factors that may have led to the crash, which claimed the lives of 241 people on board.
Speaking to IANS, Randhawa acknowledged multiple possible scenarios, including bird strikes, dual engine failure, landing gear issues, and loss of lift. “Prima facie, the first thought is both engines failing—but that is an extremely rare occurrence,” he said.
He pointed out that Ahmedabad is an area with high bird activity. “If a bird hit and affected both engines, it could have caused a flameout or rendered them inoperative,” he noted.
Randhawa further explained that the aircraft had flown in from Delhi and was refueled in Ahmedabad before its onward journey to London. He dismissed sabotage or serious technical failure, noting that the aircraft was declared fully serviceable prior to takeoff. “Fuel testing would have been done to check for water contamination or impurities. So sabotage or contamination is unlikely,” he said.
Referring to CCTV footage of the crash, Randhawa highlighted a potential issue with the aircraft’s configuration during takeoff. “The landing gear appears to have remained down from takeoff until the crash. This creates significant drag. Normally, the gear is retracted shortly after takeoff. Failing to do so impacts lift and overall flight performance.”
He elaborated that on a Boeing 787, pilots typically use flap setting 5 for takeoff, and flap 15 at performance-limited airports. From the video, he suggested that the flaps were not deployed as expected during ascent.
“It appears the aircraft gained only around 350 to 400 feet of altitude. If the gear wasn’t retracted and drag remained high, combined with a possible flap misconfiguration, it could have led to a loss of lift,” he explained.
Randhawa proposed a sequence of possible cockpit events: “It’s possible the captain engaged the autopilot and issued the command to raise the gear. The co-pilot, perhaps inadvertently, raised the flaps instead. That could have caused a sudden loss of lift—exactly what seems to have happened.”
While investigations into the crash are ongoing, Randhawa stressed the importance of focusing on facts over speculation and emphasized the professionalism of Captain Sabharwal, whom he personally trained. “I’ve known Captain Sumit Sabharwal since 2003-2004. He was trained under me. He was a competent and capable pilot.”
As pressure mounts for a full inquiry, aviation experts and authorities are closely examining data and footage to determine what led to one of the worst aviation disasters in India’s recent history. (Source: IANS)
