At least 270 people died in the crash last week (Image: Ritesh Shukla, Getty Images)
A top pilot who has analysed the clearest video footage yet of the tragic Air India crash that killed 270 people believes the cause can only be one of three things.
A newly surfaced, higher-resolution video of the catastrophic 787 Dreamliner crash has been unveiled, offering a clearer glimpse of the Boeing aircraft as it descended alarmingly just after departing and erupted into flames above a neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
This enhanced footage has shed light on a critical instance, now visible, which points to an immense loss of power or a “dual engine failure” as the potential cause of the disaster.
Aviation enthusiast Mr Schreiber shared the updated video on his widely-followed YouTube channel, repeatedly playing the footage for his audience while pointing out a “little grey dot” under the right wing of the plane.
According to Mr Schreiber, this dot, previously obscured in lower quality versions of the footage, indicates that the Ram Access Turbine (RAT) was unmistakably extended from the aircraft.
The Air India flight AI171 moments before the crash (Image: Jam Press/Rare Shot News)
“This is a total gamechanger,” he declared.
“Many aeroplanes have it (RAT),” he explained. “It is just behind the wing on the right side of the aeroplane, there is a little door that holds it in.”
He compared the RAT to “It looks like a little Evinrude motor, it’s a little two bladed prop.”
Mr Schreiber discussed the RAT’s critical function, stating, “The purpose of the Ram Air Turbine is to provide electrical and hydraulic pressure for the aircraft in an extreme emergency.”
The London-bound passenger plane crashed on June 12 in India’s western city of Ahmedabad with 242 on board, (Image: SAM PANTHAKY, AFP via Getty Images)
Mr Schreiber went on to confirm there were only three reasons why the technology may have deployed. He went on: “A massive electrical failure, a massive hydraulic failure, or a dual engine failure.
“Any one of those three things will cause that RAT to deploy.
“That little grey dot is the RAT. This video is visual confirmation that the RAT deployed. The protrusion is the door that opened to allow the RAT to come down.”
The London-bound Boeing 787 tragically collided with a medical college hostel in a residential district of Ahmedabad shortly after its departure on Thursday, claiming the lives of 241 passengers and crew, alongside at least 29 locals. Miraculously, one passenger survived the ordeal.
Aircraft landing gear at the crash site of Air India crash (Image: Bloomberg, Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Working into the night on Friday, recovery personnel uncovered at least 25 additional bodies amid the wreckage, according to official reports.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti from Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad informed The Associated Press that they had received 270 bodies so far, and noted that the sole survivor of the crash was still being monitored for certain injuries.
“He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged anytime soon,” Dr. Gameti remarked on Saturday.
In the wake of the disaster, hundreds of grieving family members have visited the hospital to provide DNA samples, as the majority of the victims were either burnt beyond recognition or severely disfigured.
Thick black smoke rising from a residential area after Air India flight 171 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 (Image: VIJAY PATANI, AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the official investigation, the Indian government has announced the formation of a high-level, multi-disciplinary committee to investigate the factors leading to the crash. The Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that this committee will focus on developing procedures to prevent and manage future aircraft emergencies, but “will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations,”.
The Indian Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, revealed at his first press conference since Thursday’s crash that inspections have begun on all of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. He confirmed that eight out of the 34 Dreamliner planes in India have already been inspected, with the remaining aircraft to be examined with “immediate urgency.”.
The flight black box is anticipated to shed light on the engine and control settings, while the cockpit voice recorder will capture the pilots’ conversations, explained Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer at the U.K.’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, who has previously worked as a crash investigator for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, believes that if the flight data recorder is intact, key questions about the cause of the crash could be answered by next week.
Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed (Image: PUNIT PARANJPE, AFP via Getty Images)
Investigators are likely scrutinising aspects such as the correct setting of wing flaps, potential engine power loss, cockpit alarms, and whether the plane’s crew accurately recorded external temperature and the weight of fuel and passengers, according to Guzzetti.
He warned that errors in these details could lead to incorrect wing flap configurations.
The recent Air India disaster involved a Boeing 787 that was 12 years old. Boeing aircraft have encountered safety issues with other models in the past.
Experts note that there are approximately 1,200 Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes in service globally, and this incident marks the first fatal crash in its 16-year history.