The tragic incident involving an Air India aircraft, which crashed with 242 people on board, has raised numerous inquiries. On June 12, the flight departed from Ahmedabad, destined for London Gatwick, when it unexpectedly began a rapid descent.
Video recordings captured the aircraft’s swift descent, culminating in a massive explosion upon impact, with a plume of smoke ascending into the sky. The airline reported that the flight carried 242 passengers and crew members.
Air India specified: “Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.”
The plane crash-landed just four miles from the airport, having only reached an altitude of approximately 625 feet, as confirmed by authorities.
There are reports of a single survivor from the crash, who remains hospitalized. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the disaster, with an aviation expert offering some insights on potential issues.
Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein shared his thoughts with Sky News after reviewing footage of the incident. He highlighted several problems that might have contributed to the aircraft’s failure to achieve proper takeoff.
Rosenschein observed: “It’s clearly got its [landing] gear down and that is not correct… it should have been up. And from the video… it’s not immensely clear… but it does look like the aircraft didn’t have its take-off flap setting.”
He stressed the significance of wing flaps, which must be correctly set to modify the wings’ shape, providing the necessary lift at lower speeds for the plane to take off and ascend.
At this moment, Rosenschein acknowledged that he is merely speculating on potential contributing factors. Authorities are still investigating and have not yet issued an official explanation for the crash.
He further commented: “[This] could explain why the aircraft came down [as the] aircraft would not have been able to maintain flight.
“The video is not that clear, but it [the flaps setting] doesn’t look right to me.
“The altitude of the aircraft isn’t right either and the aircraft seems to be descending rather than climbing.
“It does look like it’s an aerodynamic issue because of not having the right flaps setting on take-off.”
These observations come after authorities disclosed the alleged final communication from the pilot at the helm. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal reportedly radioed: “Mayday […] no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.”
Sabharwal was a seasoned pilot with 22 years of experience and had accumulated 8,200 flight hours.