On the afternoon of June 12, 2025, tragedy struck just outside Ahmedabad바카라s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff. The aircraft, carrying 242 individuals, including crew and passengers from India, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Canada, disappeared from radar less than a minute after it had lifted off from the runway.
In the wake of this disaster, the natural question that arises is: what leads to such catastrophic aviation failures, particularly in modern aircraft that are considered among the safest in the world? The causes of plane crashes are rarely singular or simple. Rather, they tend to emerge from a confluence of factors바카라mechanical, environmental, human, and procedural바카라that together compromise the safety envelope designed to prevent precisely such events.
Bird Strikes
Initial speculation in the Ahmedabad case points to a bird strike. Aviation analysts told NDTV that the aircraft may have encountered a flock of birds soon after takeoff, which could have led to multiple engine failures. Bird strikes are an underestimated hazard, especially during the takeoff and landing phases when aircraft operate at lower altitudes and slower speeds. If large birds are ingested into jet engines, particularly on both sides simultaneously, the aircraft can lose thrust, reduce climb capability and potentially lead to an aerodynamic stall. Given the extremely low altitude at which the Air India flight went down바카라less than 700 feet above ground바카라it is plausible that the pilots had little time to recover or perform a controlled emergency return.
Mechanical Failure
Mechanical failures are another frequent contributor to aviation accidents. Even advanced airframes can suffer critical failures. The 787 has had a chequered record since its introduction, with some issues related to lithium-ion battery systems, engine reliability, and fuselage durability. While none of those previous concerns led to fatal crashes, today바카라s incident marks the first major fatal loss involving a Dreamliner. Investigators will certainly probe whether any undetected mechanical malfunction바카라perhaps in the engines, control surfaces, or onboard flight computers바카라contributed to the accident. As The Economic Times has reported, Boeing바카라s 787-8 has had a history of technical complaints that could resurface considering this tragedy.
Pilot Error
Human factors, too, remain an enduring aspect of crash causality. Pilots are trained to handle emergencies such as engine failure on takeoff, yet the margin for error is vanishingly small during this phase of flight. According to details shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the captain of AI171, Sumeet Sabharwal, was a highly experienced aviator with over 8,000 hours logged, including hundreds in the Dreamliner. His co-pilot had around 1100 hours. The fact that a Mayday call was made indicates that the crew recognised a critical failure early and began emergency protocols. However, if the aircraft experienced a dual engine failure or other cascading problems, their options may have been severely limited. The flight did not reach a high enough altitude to allow for gliding back to the airport or for deploying emergency systems that require height to function.
Fire Risk
Another critical aspect to consider is the role of fuel and fire. Given that the plane was preparing for a long-haul intercontinental journey, it would have been carrying a substantial amount of aviation fuel. When an aircraft crashes at low altitude with full tanks, the fire risk is exponentially higher. In this instance, the crash into a civilian structure amplified the disaster바카라s impact. Fires engulfed not just the fuselage, but also adjacent buildings, complicating rescue efforts and heightening the death toll. The proximity of dense urban infrastructure to the airport may also raise regulatory concerns about zoning and residential safety buffers.
Systemic Issues
Beyond the immediate physical causes of the crash, systemic issues in aviation infrastructure and regulation must be addressed. The DGCA has faced criticism in the past for reactive enforcement and insufficient oversight. Questions will likely be raised about the state of bird strike prevention measures at Ahmedabad airport. Are local airfields managing their waste and habitat attractants properly? Do they maintain effective radar systems for bird detection? Answers to these questions could play a key role in shaping preventive measures.
Formal Investigation Begins
As part of the ongoing investigation, both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (the black boxes) have now been recovered and are being analysed by India바카라s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with assistance from Boeing, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the UK바카라s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB UK). Initial data extraction is expected to begin within 72 hours. Investigators are particularly focused on engine performance metrics, bird strike signatures, and cockpit crew reactions in the final seconds before impact.
The Ahmedabad crash also evokes memories of the 1988 crash of Indian Airlines Flight 113, which occurred near the same airport. In that case, pilot error during low visibility conditions led the aircraft to descend prematurely, striking terrain short of the runway. The parallel between the two tragedies underscores a sobering truth: despite the passage of decades and the introduction of advanced avionics, aircraft accidents continue to emerge when multiple layers of defence break down simultaneously.
Experts are of the view In light of this, aviation authorities around the world may need to revisit the design resilience of engines against bird ingestion, reconsider the proximity of urban centres to airport approaches, and further enhance the training of pilots in handling rapid loss-of-power scenarios. Additionally, aircraft manufacturers like Boeing will likely face renewed scrutiny, not just of the Dreamliner, but of any deferred maintenance issues or post-sale support obligations.
