An aviation expert believes it is possible to rule out one potential cause of the Air India crash, which killed around 270 people. The plane had just taken off from Ahmedabad airport in India and was destined for London Gatwick when it crashed into a built-up area on June 12.
The aftermath of the tragedy saw much speculation as to what might have caused the plane to fail to gain lift before crashing, although official investigations remain ongoing. Speaking on Channel 5’s documentary ‘Air India Disaster: The Unanswered Questions’ which aired on Wednesday, one expert believes a potential cause can be ruled out. Julian Bray, an aviation security expert, examined the footage showing the doomed airliner’s final moments.
He said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I thought as it was taking off, why aren’t the wheels going up because basically within 16 seconds of take off you lift up the wheels to lessen the drag.
“Then I thought the flats weren’t extended. When they are taking off, they extend the wing area so there is more lift because how you fly is you create a vacuum above the wing and that lifts the aircraft.
“Now for some reason the wheels are down and the flats are in so this plane cannot possibly fly because there is no lift.”
Others have speculated that a double engine failure could be the reason behind the crash, but if this is the case, Bray does not believe that it would have been caused by a collision with birds, as some have suggested it could be.
Bray added: “Dual engine failure, you think right, there has to be something catastrophic at the front end of the engine like a bird strike, like a big bird strike.
“There is no sign of damage from the rear or no sign of pulped bird splattered all over the fuselage so we don’t think it is bird strike.”
A collision with birds was famously the cause of so-called ‘Miracle on the Hudson’, where a plane leaving New York City collided with birds and suffered a catastrophic engine failure.
With no engines to power the plane, Capt. C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger miraculously guided his plane to safety by landing it on the Hudson River, saving the lives of all onboard.
His actions were dubbed one of the most impressive feats of aviation in history and saw him lauded worldwide.
His actions later inspired the film “Sully” where the pilot was portrayed by Tom Hanks.