What could make the Air India plane crash in 30 seconds?

What exactly happened on the AI171 flight between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick on Thursday afternoon will only be discovered through a detailed investigation, but after the take-off, the most challenging in aviation can be.

Indian investigators will join US and UK experts in the coming days, as authorities are trying to determine what caused the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to collapse shortly after take-off only 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from the track at Sardar Valat Pavel’s International Airport.

He marked the first time the Dreamliner 787-8 suffered a fatal disaster as he entered a commercial service in 2011. Thursday disaster died 241 people on board and others on the spot.

The BBC talks with aviation experts, as well as pilots based in India – some of which have spoken on condition of anonymity – who regularly fly 787-8s from international airports in India to find out what factors can lead to his flight in his flight.

The Dreamliner 787-8 was summer by Captain Sumeth Sabhawal and his pilot Clave Kundar. The two were very experienced, with more than 9,000 combined flying hours. Mr. Sabharwal has won over 22 years of experience as a pilot of a commercial airline.

The plane wore 242 people while taxing Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon on the track at Ahmedabad International Airport. Jet took off at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT), said operator Air India.

India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah said the aircraft carries 100 tonnes of fuel – practically a full load – when he climbed from Ahmedabad.

Almost immediately after the cockpit was removed, he called Mayday, said India’s aviation regulator. The aircraft is then not answered. It is unclear what prompted Maide’s call, but the only survivor of the flight has told Indian media that he heard a strong blow while the plane struggles to win altitude.

The BBC -certified personnel then showed that the plane flies low over what it seems to be a residential neighborhood. The end transmitted data show that the plane reaches a height of 625 feet (190 m). It continues to descend and darken with trees and buildings before a large explosion appears on the horizon.

“There would be no time for him to react if he lost both engines,” said a pilot. CCTV footage viewed by BBC shows that the aircraft is in the air for 30 seconds.

The aircraft crashes in a residential area, with images showing residential blocks heavily damaged in a densely constructed area, including hospitals and official buildings.

It is almost impossible to finally determine what caused the disaster based on videos from the short flight of the aircraft.

In the coming days, a complex investigation involving the black box of the aircraft – which records field data – and will start browsing debris. But the videos that appeared show the aircraft that struggles to rise from the ground, at first glance against the background of a lack of thrust or strength.

One of the reasons that is speculated by some experts is the possibility of an extremely rare dual engine damage. There were questions about whether the plane was deployed by its RAM air turbine (rat), an emergency spare turbine that begins when the main engines fail to generate power for the main systems.

Double engine damage is almost unheard, with the most remarkable example of Hudson’s Wonder in 2009, when the US Airways Airbus A320 lost both engines to moments of bird strikes after take-off from Laguord Airport in New York, but slid to safety.

A senior pilot told the BBC that dual engine damage may also be the result of contamination or blockage of the fuel. Airplane engines rely on a precise fuel measurement system – if this system is blocked, it can lead to fuel fast and the engine switch off.

Marco Chan, a former pilot, told the BBC to check that there was no evidence that suggest double the engine damage based on the available frames.

Mohan Ranganatan, an aviation expert, told the BBC that dual engine damage would be “a very, very rare incident”.

Engine manufacturer GE Aerospace has said he is sending a team to India to help the investigation while Boeing said it offers its full support to the airline.

Another possibility raised by some experts in India is bird blow.

They appear when an airplane collides with a bird and can be extremely dangerous for the aircraft. In serious cases, engines may lose power if they suck a bird as it happens in South Korea Air Crash in South Korea which died 179 people last year.

Experts and pilots familiar with Ahmedabad airport told the BBC that this was “the famous for the birds”.

“They are always around,” says G -n Ranganatan, sounding what at least three Indian pilots who have flew outside the airport, BBC told.

The Gujarat state, where Ahmedabad is located, reported 462 incidents of bird strikes for five years, with the most common at Ahmedabad Airport, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, submitted to parliament in December 2023.

The Times of India report in September 2023 cites data on the airport organ, marked 38 bird strokes in 2022-23 in Ahmedabad, 35% growth compared to the previous 12 months.

In the case of 2009, a herd of seagulls was swallowed at 2700 feet – more than four times higher than the Air India flight. In this case, the Indian pilots had neither the height nor the maneuvering time.

However, a senior pilot said that the bird strike is rarely catastrophic “unless it affects both engines.”

Three experts who talked to the BBC confirm that the disaster may have happened because the valves of the aircraft are not extended during take -off – although other pilots and analysts have challenged it.

The valves play a vital role during take-off, helping the aircraft to generate maximum lift at lower speeds.

If they are not properly extended, a fully charged jet – carrier passengers, heavy fuel for long distance flight and fighting hot conditions – will fight to rise.

In Ahmedabad, where temperatures approached 40 ° C (104F) on Thursday, the slight air would require higher valve adjustments and a greater thrust of the engine, a pilot told the BBC. Under such conditions, even a slight configuration error can have catastrophic consequences.

CCTV footage, which appeared late on Thursday afternoon, showed that the plane, which took off from Ahmedabad, was struggling to reach height and then slowly descended before it collapsed.

But take -off with retracted valves will cause warnings from the 787 take -off warning system, warning the crew of a dangerous configuration flight, according to a pilot the BBC talks to.

Former pilot Mr. Chan told the BBC to check that the footage that has appeared so far are too distorted to determine for sure if the valves have been extended, but said such a mistake would be “extremely unusual”.

“The valves are set by the pilots themselves before they fly out and have several control lists and procedures to check the setting,” said G -N Chan. “This would indicate the potential human error if the valves were not set correctly.”

Additional reporting by Jake Horton