A complete picture of the how the Ahmedabad plane crash unfolded would be revealed after examining the data from the aircraft’s ‘Black Box’, which consists of two components– Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Solid State Flight Data Recorder (SSFDR).
Ahmedabad plane crash: Tragedy struck on Thursday when a London-bound Air India flight with 242 passengers onboard crashed shortly after take off in Meghaninagar area near the Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat. Civil aviation regulator DGCA and other agencies have begun investigations to determine the exact cause of the fatal crash, and its being ascertained whether the mishap was triggered by a technical fault, engine failure or something else.
‘Black Box’ to reveal what happened to Air India flight AI171
According to authorities, a complete picture of the how the Ahmedabad plane crash unfolded would be revealed after examining the data from the aircraft’s ‘Black Box’, which consists of two components– Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Solid State Flight Data Recorder (SSFDR).
Data extracted from the CVR and the SSFDR is likely to provide insights into the efforts made by the two pilots– Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar– to prevent the plane from crashing, and would also help determine the exact reason of the tragic plane crash.
The SSFDR records all commands and activities from the cockpit to the tail of the aircraft, and the data will help ascertain what happened in the final moments that caused the plane to crash.
Engine failure, say veteran pilots
Meanwhile, veteran pilots with years of flying experience believe the accident could have happened due to the simultaneous failure of both engines of the aircraft, a rare occurrence but not something unheard of. Both engines have separate controls, a safety feature which ensures that the aircraft remains functional even if one of the engines fails mid air.
In a video of the Ahmedabad plane crash shared on social media, the nose of the aircraft can be seen rising at the last moment, indicating that the pilots were attempting to take the plane up right until the very last second.
Some pilots have suggested that the crash could have been triggered due to a bird hit, which frequently happen at the Ahmedabad airport.
But all these are mere speculations and the exact cause of the Ahmedabad plane crash will only be determined after investigations are completed. However, a viral video of the crash made one thing clear that the pilots tried their best to prevent the mishap until the very last moment.
Why Air India flight exploded into a ball of fire?
According to experts, the aircraft would have contained about 1 lakh kiloliters of fuel at the time of the flight, which caught fire when the plane crashed into a nearby building, turning it into a giant ball of fire.
The ill-fated Air India aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad with 242 passengers and crew members onboard, was a Boeing B787 Aircraft VT-ANB– an aircraft designed for long-distance flights by American aerospace manufacturer Boeing. The B787 aircraft is built from composite metals, which makes it lightweight, and also has a lower fuel consumption, making it perfect for long flights.
The plane was 11 years old, and seated 200-300 passengers, and had maximum range of up to 8,500 nautical miles.
