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Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Air India sources say investigators will speak to pilots and crew who flew the same aircraft in the week before the June 12 crash that killed over 270 people
On June 13, investigators recovered the black box of the London-bound plane from the rooftop of the medical college hostel. (PTI)
Investigative agencies will soon get in touch with pilots and crew who flew the ill-fated Air India aircraft on the Ahmedabad-London route the week before the June 12 crash that killed at least 270 people onboard and on the ground, airline sources told News18 on Saturday.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, operating a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, had crashed soon after take-off on Thursday afternoon. Out of the 242 people onboard the plane, only one person survived, while more than 30 people died in a medical college mess where the plane crashed.
According to Air India sources, agencies investigating the crash have asked the airline management to share the details of pilots and crew members who operated the ill-fated flight in the week preceding the tragedy. The investigators will reportedly seek more information from the pilots and crew members about their experiences on the flight.
On Friday, the investigators had recovered the black box of the London-bound plane from the rooftop of the medical college hostel. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), without giving details, said the Digital Flight Data Recorder(DFDR), commonly known as the Black box, was recovered from the “rooftop” at the crash site. The DFDR will help reconstruct the ill-fated flight’s final moments and is crucial to determining how the disaster occurred.
As aviation experts discussed the possible causes of the crash, including loss of thrust in both engines of the 11-year-old aircraft, multiple bird strikes, or a potential flap issue, Aviation watchdog DGCA ordered enhanced safety inspection of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet powered by GEnx engines. There are 26 Boeing 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s in the Air India fleet.
“The DFDR (Black box) has been recovered from the rooftop,” an AAIB statement said, without giving details.
An official said the recovery was made from the rooftop of the medical college hostel building which is part of the residential quarters of BJ Medical College. The tail cone of the aircraft was lodged near the top of the building.
There is no word yet on recovery of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), which is also known as a Black box. CVR records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises.
The DGCA said its enhanced inspection will include checks of various systems and a review of take-off parameters of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft of Air India owned by the Tata Group.
Mayuresh Ganapatye, News Editor at News18.com, writes on politics and civic issues, as well as human interests stories. He has been covering Maharashtra and Goa for more than a decade. He previously worked with…Read More
Mayuresh Ganapatye, News Editor at News18.com, writes on politics and civic issues, as well as human interests stories. He has been covering Maharashtra and Goa for more than a decade. He previously worked with… Read More
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