Air India 787-8 Dreamliner Crash: Israeli Aviation Expert Analyses the Cause

On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed for London crashed just moments after taking off from Ahmedabad. There was just one person left alive when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers, crashed.

What can be learned from the existing publications? This is the assessment of the Israeli expert.

First, it is important to note that investigating aviation accidents is a science. We do not speculate on what happened, but we know for sure what happened, so we need to be patient and wait for the investigation’s conclusions. Experts from the aircraft manufacturer, as well as the engine manufacturer (Boeing and General Electric), are assisting the investigation committee. Experts from the Indian and American aviation authorities and the NTSB also joined to assist in the investigation. Therefore, there is no room for speculation.

So, what can be learned from the existing videos published recently?

1. The aircraft rotation appears to be by the end of the runway, raising a cloud of light dust beyond the paved runway. This is unusual and might indicate a takeoff performance calculation error, which affects the engine thrust and flap position for takeoff.

2. The initial attitude after rotation seems lower than usual, and the landing gear remains down. This is an unusual situation since pilots normally retract the landing gear immediately after rotation. It could be that the pilots were dealing with a serious, unusual situation or malfunction. The relatively low climbing attitude indicates that the engines may not have provided the required power. In this situation, the pilots can push the TOGA switch, which can immediately provide maximum power.

3. Despite this, the pilots only managed to reach a height of about 600 feet, but then the aircraft began a continuous descent in a controlled flight into the terrain (CFIT). It can be assumed that a trained crew such as this crew pushed the TOGA switches, however, the engines did not respond.

4. According to recent reports, the crew reported a lack of engine power, which is consistent with the situation in which the plane is descending due to a lack of engine power. At one point, the pilots made a MAYDAY radio call, meaning the aircraft was in immediate danger. There is a hypothesis that the emergency turbine RAT was observed. The RAT deployment is consistent with the loss of power and electricity in both engines, as the pilots may have reported. In this situation, the turbine provides power only to critical flight control and essential flight instruments. The significance of RAT deployment is that it indicated a loss of power on both engines.

5. Loss of power in both engines simultaneously due to a technical fault is extremely unusual.

6. Loss of power in both engines simultaneously can be caused by contaminated fuel. This is not related to the engines but to the fuel supply. During the refueling process, a fuel contamination check is performed, and if contamination is detected, the refueling is stopped. In other words, the engines may have been operating on the ground, by uncontaminated fuel remaining in the supply lines from the previous flight, until the engines began consuming possibly contaminated fuel during takeoff. No doubt that the investigation committee will look deeper into this option. Another type of fuel contamination can occur when the fuel temperature drops below the permissible limit, which can cause frozen particles in the fuel tanks. This option is irrelevant in this case.

7. Another possibility is complex human error: the pilots retracted the flaps instead of raising the landing gear. In this situation, the combination of loss of lift due to inappropriate flap position, heavy takeoff weight, and drag produced by the extended landing gear can be beyond the aircraft’s performance, sometimes even with maximum engine power. According to this hypothesis, the engines may have been operated normally and at full power, but incorrect aircraft operation, if it did happen, prevented the recovery from the situation.

8. The investigation committee will also examine the technical aspects, including the aircraft’s history, and whether a technical malfunction contributed to the accident. The human factor will also be investigated. It includes examining the pilots’ proficiency and medical history. The environmental aspects, which include weather conditions, wind, temperature, and possible bird strikes, will also be investigated. These areas are examined in every accident if only to rule them out as contributing to the accident.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that the investigation committee, assisted by the best experts, will find the exact cause of the unfortunate accident. All the above are initial hypotheses based on what is known so far from decoding the videos published on the internet, hypotheses that can provide several options and directions for investigating the accident.