THE Air India crash has resulted in the highest number of British deaths in a flight disaster since the 9/11 terror attacks.
A total of 52 British citizens were last night missing, feared dead, after rescue teams recovered more than 200 bodies at the crash site.
ReutersFirefighters hose down the scene after the Air India horror crash[/caption]
EPALanding gear from the plane at the scene[/caption]
AFPThe tail of the plane is seen hanging from the edge of a building after the crash[/caption]
The toll of 67 Brits killed in the 9/11 attacks in 2001 on New York’s World Trade Centre was higher.
The last major UK air disaster saw 47 people killed in January 1989 when a Boeing 737 attempting an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport crashed on an embankment of the M1 near Kegworth, Leics.
In August 1985, a British Airtours Boeing 737 bound for Corfu caught fire on the runway at Manchester Airport, killing 55 on board.
But the deadliest air crash in Britain remains the 1972 Staines Air Disaster, when a BEA flight crashed on take-off from Heathrow. All 118 people on board were killed.
And in 1988, the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie terror attack killed 43 British citizens, including 11 on the ground in the Scottish border town.
Last night, a team of British air crash investigators was being rushed to the crash scene in Ahmedabad, India, as theories swirled about possible causes of the disaster.
They included pilot error, a bird or drone strike, or a freak change in wind direction causing a deadly double-engine stall.
Concerns over possible pilot error by experienced Captain Sumeet Sabharwal centred on video of the Dreamliner’s plunge.
It appeared to show the twin-engine jet’s wing flaps retracted — possibly too early — moments before the crash.
Pilots and experts said it is vital that the flaps are set to the correct position at take-off to maximise lift.
Wheels and the undercarriage are also supposed to be lifted quickly once the plane is airborne, to reduce drag.
But video footage of the crash jet shows its wheels were still down as it began descending.
A disastrous strike from a flock of birds is also possible, but not obvious from video footage.
Weather may also be a factor, with temperatures at the time of take-off close to 40C (104F). But reports suggested the air was relatively still and there were no signs of freak gusts, either from locals or on the video.
The only other possible cause would be a technical fault in one of the most modern and reliable aircraft flying today.
GettyDecember 1988: 43 Brits died in the Lockerbie terrorist bombing[/caption]
ReutersSeptember 2001: 67 Brits died in jet attack on the Twin Towers[/caption]
June 2025: 52 UK residents missing in today’s crash
A man who claimed he was a passenger on the doomed plane on a previous flight hours earlier posted a video appearing to show the air conditioning, TV screens and lights not working on board.
Akash Vatsa posted on X that he noticed “unusual things” during its flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad on Thursday morning. In the footage, he can be heard saying: “The AC is not working at all. As usual, your TV screens are also not working, neither is the button to call the cabin crew. Nothing is working. Not even the light is working.”
Mr Vatsa said he originally filmed the clip to make a complaint to Air India, but shared it online following the disaster to highlight issues with the doomed plane.
Since its launch in 2011, the Boeing Dreamliner has had a near- faultless safety record and been involved in no fatal accidents. But teams of Boeing experts were being scrambled in the US last night in a bid to head off safety concerns — which have blighted the company’s image in recent years.
There are more than 1,100 787s in service, with most major international airlines prizing the model’s fuel efficiency and low noise levels.
Officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau were last night scouring the crash scene for the jet’s black boxes, which should provide vital data.
FOUR CRASH THEORIES
WING FLAPS IN WRONG POSITION
VIDEO evidence suggests the flaps were retracted and landing gear down, which would have meant minimal lift and increased drag.
One theory is the landing gear was stuck and pilots retracted the flaps to reduce drag or the flaps were faulty, causing the plane to stall.
A BIRD STRIKE CRIPPLED ENGINES
A BIRD strike could have taken out both of the plane’s General Electric engines.
In 2021, a Dreamliner aborted take-off in Mexico after birds flew into one of its engines. A study in 2018 found Ahmedabad airport had “a high potential of bird-aircraft collision hazards”.
MISTAKE BY ONE OF THE PILOTS
THE 787-8 is highly automated with pilots making key decisions, but human error cannot be ruled out.
There was a mayday from the cockpit. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, a trained flight instructor, had 8,000 hours’ experience and his co-pilot more than 1,000.
PLANE DIDN’T USE ENOUGH RUNWAY
PLANES get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, so need to go faster.
Flight AI171 took off in 40C heat in the early afternoon sunshine. It’s suggested the amount of runway used was less than 2,000m when a full plane on a hot day usually needs a run of 2,500m.
They record all actions taken by pilots and audio from the cockpit. Lt Col John R Davidson, a former US Air Force pilot and commercial aviation safety consultant, said: “There are a number of possible scenarios — thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor flap configuration — or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft’s ability to climb.
“Weather, wind shear or even bird strike can’t be ruled out.”
Capt Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, said footage showing the plane’s descent “looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power”.
He added: “The take-off was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending.
“This can happen only in the case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift.”
India yesterday accepted an offer of assistance from the UK’s specialist air accident investigation team and a unit was en route.
Boeing boss Kelly Ortberg last night said: “Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad.”
Brit couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who are feared dead, posted this a video from the airport before boarding the doomed flight
PAAlso feared dead are British couple Akeel Nanabawa and Hannaa Voraje with their daughter Sara[/caption]
Pilots issued a mayday call in the airX
XHuge plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky[/caption]
Video showing Brit survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh walking out of the crashTwitter
EPAPeople stand near debris at the site of the plane crash[/caption]
AFPFirefighters work at the site of the plane crash[/caption]
India’s dark aviation history
A LONDON-BOUND Air India flight crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent decades:
AUGUST 2020
At least 18 people died and 16 were severely injured when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.
MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a ravine, killing 158 people on board.
JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.
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