What exactly unfolded aboard Air India Flight AI171 in the minutes after it left the runway at Ahmedabad International Airport remains an enigma—one that only a painstaking investigation will untangle. But the disaster, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew along with residents on the ground, has already sent shockwaves across global aviation.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, hailed as one of the most advanced and safest commercial aircraft since its launch in 2011, had never before suffered a fatal accident. That changed on Thursday afternoon, when the jet crashed just 1.5km (0.9 miles) beyond the runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, slamming into densely packed residential blocks.
Within seconds, a routine take-off had spiraled into India’s worst aviation tragedy in more than a decade.
A flight that never stabilized
Air India confirmed that the aircraft was captained by Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with over 22 years of commercial flying and more than 8,000 logged hours. His co-pilot, Clive Kundar, was also highly experienced. The plane was heavy: 242 people on board, luggage, and nearly 100 tonnes of fuel for the long-haul journey to London Gatwick.
Take-off began at 13:39 local time. Almost immediately after rotation, the cockpit issued a mayday call. The message was chillingly brief—then silence. Seconds later, witnesses reported hearing a deafening bang as the aircraft struggled to climb.
One survivor, a businessman seated near the rear, told local media that “the plane shook violently, as though it had lost its strength,” before everything went dark.
Verified footage raises questions
Videos authenticated by BBC Verify show the 787 flying alarmingly low over rooftops, its engines straining. Final transmitted data put the jet at just 625ft (190m) before it began to sink. Within half a minute of becoming airborne, the plane vanished behind buildings, followed by a fireball on the horizon.
A pilot who reviewed the footage said bluntly: “If both engines cut out at that altitude, there was no chance to recover.”
Could it have been a rare double engine failure?
Investigators from India, the UK, and the US will soon examine the black boxes and wreckage. But already, speculation has spread through the aviation community.
One theory: an exceptionally rare dual engine failure. These incidents are almost unheard of, the most famous being the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson,” when Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed a powerless Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after a bird strike.
Could something similar—but far less fortunate—have happened here? Experts say possibilities include fuel contamination, clogging in the fuel metering system, or catastrophic damage from foreign objects.
Still, veteran analyst Mohan Ranganathan cautioned: “A double engine failure would be an extraordinarily rare event. Something else may have compounded the crisis.”
The ever-present danger of bird strikes
Bird strikes are not unusual in Indian skies, and Ahmedabad Airport has long been notorious for them. Civil Aviation Ministry data shows 462 bird strikes in Gujarat over five years, with the majority at Ahmedabad.
Just last year, a report recorded a 35% rise in bird strike incidents. Local pilots describe flocks of kites and pigeons circling perilously close to the runways.
If Flight AI171 had sucked a bird into an engine at low altitude, the outcome could have been disastrous—especially with a full fuel load and limited height to maneuver.
Flap settings under scrutiny
Another contentious theory centers on whether the flaps—critical for generating lift during take-off—were correctly configured. Three experts told BBC Verify that a failure to extend flaps could doom a fully loaded 787, particularly in the scorching 40°C Ahmedabad heat.
Hot, thin air reduces lift, requiring precise flap deployment and maximum thrust. A misconfiguration could have left the aircraft unable to climb.
However, Boeing’s built-in take-off configuration warning system should have alerted the pilots if flaps were not set. Former pilot Marco Chan noted: “The flaps are manually set, checked, and double-checked. An oversight would point to human error, but it would also be unusual.”
A tragedy still unfolding
The wreckage site—charred residential buildings and a smoldering crater—bears grim testimony to the seconds in which everything went wrong. Emergency workers continue to search for remains amid collapsed concrete, as distraught relatives gather at hospitals across Ahmedabad.
GE Aerospace, maker of the Dreamliner’s engines, has dispatched engineers. Boeing has pledged “full support” to investigators.
For now, the world is left with haunting questions: Did an ultra-rare engine failure bring down one of aviation’s most reliable aircraft? Did a preventable technical lapse doom the flight? Or was it the sky itself—filled with birds—that sealed its fate?
Only the black box will speak the final truth. Until then, the disaster of Flight AI171 remains a chilling reminder that even in the age of cutting-edge aviation, a few seconds can decide between routine flight and catastrophe.
