What caused Air India crash? 'Mayday' call shows the way
If the take-off is prolonged (airport CCTV footage) due to whatever reason, as it has come to light for certain, the non-retraction of the landing gear (as seen in the video) cannot be counted as an indicator of any control system or thrust failure or pilot error. Because that mode is how it should be for some more moments. Therefore the focus shifts to the flaps - and that in the right angle of attack - without which such a heavily loaded aircraft will never get the lift for elevation. Whether GE or Rolls-Royce, engines are not for climbing. These are the critical moments of any flight. It will stall, descend and crash. It has to. Is it what has happened? Brcause a double engine failure (as is reported) is a one-in-a-billion chance!
NEWS DELHI, June 15: Even as the analysis of data from the crashed Air India
Boeing's black box is ongoing and the results are yet to come, it has come to
light now that in the Mayday call the pilot had indicated the nature of trouble
the aircraft was facing.
The full distress call received by the Air Traffic Control was "Thrust not
achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" (As per the protocol, Mayday
is repeated three times). And that was the last heard from the cockpit, according
to reports now emerging!
“The longer runway roll hints at a possibility of the aircraft not having adequate
thrust for take-off,” the report quoted. And that should explain why the landing
gear was still extended and not retracted. Otherwise it was being speculated
by veteran pilots that either it is a lapse on the part of the pilot (pilot
error) or it was a hydraulic malfunctioning due to engines losing power. Neither
is the case as the aircraft had not reached the altitude when the gear should
retract and the take-off was still not over (airport CCTV footage).
If the aircraft is overloaded
Was the plane heavily loaded (fuel alone weighing 100 tons and an unspecified volume of cargo) and the engines were not able to provide enough thrust for the long-haul flight to ascend.
A fully fuelled 787-8 Dreamliner has approximately 100 metric tons of fuel or 1.26 lakh litres, that is equal to the weight of 25 adult elephants - enough for a 14,000 km haul. The aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is about 250 tons, all inclusive (aircraft, fuel, passenger, cargo etc.) The captain will check the loadsheet prepared by ground operations but there is no foolproof method.
If it is overloaded, takeoff roll would be longer; climb rate would be reduced; or, engine thrust might appear insufficient to achieve safe liftoff. But if the engines aren’t producing expected thrust, it’s more likely due to mechanical failure, fuel contamination or configuration errors, not just excess weight.
Why the flaps were not extended
However, according to seasoned pilots, at this critical stage of the flight
staying in take-off stage or getting prolonged for want of thrust to ascend,
the position of flaps is decisive. Even supposing the engine was losing power
due to any reason, why the flaps were not extended! The flaps are essential
to give the lift to achieve elevation, they are categorical, especially as the
long-haul aircraft is fully loaded with fuel and the cargo about which we will
not have the correct data as only written details are given to the pilot. The
pilot has to assess the exact physical specifications of the particular aircraft
and the load before he taxies.
And there was no anomalies during the take-off roll, nothing abnormal detected
by the ATC or the ground staff. Communication system was working. Weather was
OK. But temperature was high. At 1:30 pm on a scorching day in the month of
May in Gujarat's airport, otherwise notorious for bird hits, birds do not fly
in the sky.
So what caused the thrust failure mentioned in the Mayday, and that too a double engine failure (that is, if only one engine fails the pilot is trained to manage at any stage of flight), a one-in-a-billion chance? Or a thrust failure was a wrong diagnosis when the aircraft was not climbing. This question arises as the flaps were not deployed (video).
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flight AI171, carrying 242 people, crashed
shortly after takeoff at 1:39 pm in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad on Thursday,
killing all except one on board and 33 on the ground.
The pilots were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, quite
experienced.
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.
A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See:
New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)
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