xPrime Minister Narendra Modi met with the sole surviving passenger of the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash just a day after the Boeing 787-8 jetliner disintegrated mid-air and crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad. The accident claimed 241 lives onboard and caused additional casualties on the ground.
The aircraft plunged into a hostel within a medical college complex minutes after departing from the airport. Authorities are still searching for the critical black boxes — the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder — which are essential for understanding what caused the disaster.
Aviation safety expert James Healy-Pratt emphasized the importance of retrieving these devices. “Only the black boxes will tell us what truly happened. We need to stop speculating until investigators can access the flight data,” he said. He noted that the plane’s captain alone had clocked over 7,000 flying hours, with both pilots collectively exceeding 10,000 hours of experience.
Built for long-haul safety, the Boeing 787-8 was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 from the UK, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. Yet, within just 51 seconds of takeoff, something went catastrophically wrong.
A series of unanswered questions now confront both Indian aviation authorities and Boeing:
- What mechanical failure could bring down a modern 787 so quickly?
- Did the aircraft suffer configuration errors — involving flaps, landing gear, or thrust systems?
- Should India’s aviation regulator ground or audit the 787 fleet?
- Do deeper issues exist with Boeing’s manufacturing and safety protocols?
Healy-Pratt cautioned against premature conclusions. He suggested potential causes could range from simultaneous thrust loss in both engines (an event rarer than one in a billion) to weight and balance miscalculations or overlooked mechanical flaws. He also defended routine safety checks done before takeoff, saying they would have verified fuel load and airworthiness.
The aircraft had taken off at 1:38 PM, carrying over 26,000 gallons of fuel for its journey to London. The crash left debris strewn across homes and buildings, complicating rescue and recovery operations.
Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg expressed his condolences and confirmed that the company has pledged full cooperation. A specialized Boeing team is set to support India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in accordance with global aviation protocols.
Flight 171’s crash is now one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India in recent decades and has reignited global scrutiny on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner series.
