Air India Flight AI171 (Boeing 787-8) Crash

[GON]

Something caught my eye in the original link @john_pifer posted.

A few weeks earlier the aircraft has completed heavy maintenance.

 

[tcp71]

I hate to bring this up, but with tensions between India and Pakistan, hearing a bang isn't great.

 

[Ursatdx]

^^^^Don't believe everything you read on the "interwebs". The OP posted the link to the viral video of the Air India Boeing 787-8 that crashed today. The ATR 72 aircraft is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft, not a twin-engine jet as shown in the crash video.

View attachment 284438

Thanks Nukeman. Won't get fooled again.

 

[alarmguy]

One survivor walked away from the crash and able to talk about what was going on from a passenger perspective.
Of course, these early reports and more will be known as the days go on. They did take him in an ambulance with multiple injuries, but say he is not in danger.

 

[Dborch41]

They didn't use the entire runway. Turned at the end of the taxiway rather than go to the end for a 180.

Apparently that's been debunked, ADS-B exchange corrected the error in tracking. The latest info is that the aircraft back-taxied and used the entire runway, but it's still early so who knows.

 

[DirectRejection]

If that’s true, it would explain why the gear was still down but even the worst hydraulics failure wouldn’t cause the flaps to retract prematurely. It would cause them to lock in position ( flaps jammed ).

Power loss?

I always go to Juan. Wait n see. He provided a list of things to look for, especially RAT.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Apparently that's been debunked, ADS-B exchange corrected the error in tracking. The latest info is that the aircraft back-taxied and used the entire runway, but it's still early so who knows.

I did a google earth view of the runway and it appears that the aircraft was still accelerating and rotated well into the TDZ for the reciprocal end of runway 23 ( runway 05 ). The TDZ is 3000 on that runway and that checker board shed in the video is 3500 from the end of runway 23. I initially thought that dust at rotation was just from the sides of the runway but I now wonder if it was because the aircraft used up all the runway and just managed to get airborne near the end. Hard to tell in that video how much runway was left but doesn’t seem like much.

No scape marks on the tail and you would expect that if the pilots screwed up the take off calculations ( much heavier than take off data ) or selected the wrong flaps because it won’t lift off normally at Vr if it doesn’t have enough flaps out so pilots would pull further back on the control column eventually to get airborne as the end of the runway approaches.

Curious if the B787 has alpha lock protection ( Airbus ) that prevents the flaps from retracting at an unsafe speed in case the pilot selects zero by accident after take off.

https://www.reuters.com/pictures/latest-photos-air-india-flight-with-242-board-crashes-2025-06-12/

 

[rszappa1]

One survivor walked away from the crash and able to talk about what was going on from a passenger perspective.
Of course, these early reports and more will be known as the days go on. They did take him in an ambulance with multiple injuries, but say he is not in danger.

I wonder what part of the aircraft this person was sitting in????

 

[rszappa1]

Just heard that he sat in seat 11A...

 

[alarmguy]

Just heard that he sat in seat 11A...

Yes, that will be a popular seat number.
He said he was ejected when the plane split in half, explosion followed.

 

[rszappa1]

Yes, that will be a popular seat number.
He said he was ejected when the plane split in half, explosion followed.

That was my seat number a month ago flying from Louisville to Dallas on a 320 airbus.....and a few days ago flying back.....

 

[mk378]

It's the first row in economy class, window seat on the left side. It has the over-wing emergency door with extra legroom for the aisle to the door. Being next to a door is usually a good thing, but this is a Boeing and you could just as easily be the only one to die if the door pops open during flight.

 

[Astro14]

It's the first row in economy class, window seat on the left side. It has the over-wing emergency door with extra legroom for the aisle to the door. Being next to a door is usually a good thing, but this is a Boeing and you could just as easily be the only one to die if the door pops open during flight.

Doors on Boeings don’t pop open during flight, even when passengers attempt to open them, because they are “plug” type doors.

The door itself is wider than the opening in the fuselage.

They cannot “pop“ open.

You are clearly confusing the aircraft doors on thousands of Boeing aircraft with a fuselage plug that was installed at the factory incorrectly on one sub-model of one Boeing type as outfitted for some airlines*.

Your understanding of aircraft doors is wildly inaccurate, with a completely sensational, erroneous, conclusion.

What’s ironic is that the doors of many other manufacturers aircraft are not “plug” type doors, they are held in place by the latches. Those doors are the ones that are likely “pop open” during flight.


*737 Max 9 as outfitted for delivery to Alaska Airlines and United. Other airlines with Max 9 have opted to have a regular door installed there instead of a fuselage plug.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Airlines_Flight_1282

 

[edyvw]

There are numerous theories, and in the end, it might be something completely different, but this is interesting:

 

[Astro14]

There are numerous theories, and in the end, it might be something completely different, but this is interesting:

Interesting theory, supported by a bunch of mis-statements, and speculation.

Captain Steve talks about the “nose coming over“ but if you were stalled, and descending, as he speculates from inadvertent flap retraction, you would hold the nose up.

Even at optimum AOA, without high lift devices, at low airspeed, and high weight, there simply will not be enough lift. So while I don’t buy Captain Steve’s theory because the gear and the flat handles are so different, I think we both agree that the airplane had insufficient lift.

Captain Steve sees the “nose come over“, and I don’t see that, I see the nose maintaining constant pitch while the airplane continues to descend, and that, looks like an airplane on the edge of stall or stalled.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

There are numerous theories, and in the end, it might be something completely different, but this is interesting:

I am going with both engines losing power or the flaps being retracted instead of the gear. Thats why I am curious if Boeing have Alpha lock protection like on the Airbus to prevent this from happening.

Although its very rare, fuel contamination caused An Airbus to lose power at 500 after take off ( Titan Airways IIRC ) on one or both engines. I don't see any RAT in the video although its not very clear ( if it completely lost both engines ). Takes 7 seconds to extend on A320.

I can't see any take off calculation problems or wrong flap settings ( even though it seems to have rotated near the TDZ ) because the rotation seemed normal with no tail strike, plus it got airborne to 400, and with the high drag gear still down.

The internet reports of a Mayday call due to power loss doesn't seem to be proven yet.

It would explain why the gear was still down.

It won't be hard to figure out once they get those boxes.

 

[billt460]

I am going with both engines losing power or the flaps being retracted instead of the gear.

Although its very rare, fuel contamination caused An Airbus to lose power at 500 after take off ( Titan Airways IIRC ) on one or both engines.

I can't see any take off calculation problems or wrong flap settings ( even though it seems to have rotated near the TDZ ) because the rotation seemed normal with no tail strike, plus it got airborne to 400, and with the high drag gear still down.

This is the 787 throttle quadrant. The gear lever is located completely on the opposite side from where the flaps are. Also, the gear lever handle is ROUND, and the flap lever is SQUARE, and located right next to the right seater.

I'm not saying that it couldn't happen. But given the location of both controls, not to mention their size and shape, it think that it is highly unlikely.

 

[Pablo]

Who was the co-pilot?

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

This is the 787 throttle quadrant. The gear lever is located completely on the opposite side from where the flaps are. Also, the gear lever handle is ROUND, and the flap lever is SQUARE, and located right next to the right seater.

I'm not saying that it couldn't happen. But given the location of both controls, not to mention their size and shape, it think that it is highly unlikely.

View attachment 284513

Thanks for posting this picture.

Only two things would prevent it from climbing …….not enough thrust , or, not enough lift ( ice in certain situations ).

It got well above ground effect so in my mind it had enough lift ( proper flap selection ) until 400 feet.

And the gear still down, even though both pilots realize it’s not climbing. Why didn’t they select the gear up which had the most drag?

On the Airbus A320, "Alpha Lock" is a safety feature that prevents slats from retracting if the angle of attack (AoA) is high or the airspeed is low. This system is designed to prevent a stall by ensuring that the slats remain extended when they are needed to maintain lift at critical flight conditions

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Here’s the story about an Airbus losing power after take off at 500 due to fuel contamination.

I REALLY don’t think this is what happened to the B787 but weird things can happen.

https://mentourpilot.com/incident-fuel-contamination-take-off-engine-trouble/