A critical detail could help explain the devastating plane crash of Air India Flight 171 shortly after its takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, a flight that had 53 British nationals onboard and was bound for London Gatwick. The Boeing 787-8 was carrying 242 passengers, but only one person who sat next to an emergency exit is so far known to have survived. Aviation specialists have highlighted that, in a clip verified by BBC Verify, a part of the aircraft’s wing appeared to be in the wrong position. In the video, the plane is seen descending before a large explosion.
Flaps are typically extended during takeoff to increase the wing’s surface area, generating the necessary lift for a smooth ascent. However, one expert has said that the flaps may not have been in the correct position.
Aviation analyst, Geoffrey Thomas, told the BBC: “When I’m looking at this the undercarriage is still down but the flaps have been retracted.”
This is unusual, as the flaps are normally extended during takeoff and only retracted gradually after the aircraft has safely climbed.
He added: “The undercarriage is normally retracted within 10-15 seconds and the flaps are then retracted over a period of 10-15 minutes.”
Terry Tozer, Retired airline pilot, also told the BBC: “It’s very hard to say from the video for sure, it doesn’t look as if the flaps are extended and that would be a perfectly obvious explanation for an aircraft not completing its take off correctly.”
Former pilot and senior lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University, Marco Chan, said: “That would point to potential human error if flaps aren’t set correctly […] but the resolution of the video is too low to confirm that.”
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was seated by the emergency exit in seat 11A and is the sole known survivor of the 242 people onboard.
Ramesh told the Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”