What may have caused the Air India crash in Ahmedabad? A deep dive into probable technical failures
On the morning of June 12, 2025, a routine Air India flight from Ahmedabad turned into a national tragedy. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner lifted off the runway with what seemed like a normal take-off — but within seconds, the aircraft struggled to gain altitude. Eyewitness videos showed the jet barely climbing, then dipping before crashing in a fiery explosion just beyond the airport perimeter. More than 270 people lost their lives thus far.
In the wake of the tragedy, a dominant theme across newsrooms and online discussion forums is the causes that may have doomed the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner.
NDTV journalist Shiv Aroor spoke with veteran pilot Captain Rakesh Rai, who not only flew the 787-8 Dreamliner for Air India but also piloted the ill-fated aircraft that crashed on June 12 several times in his career. Right at the outset, Captain Rai cleared that everything he would be speaking will be in the realm of suppositions and speculations, since the content of the Black Box is not yet been made public.
Captain Rai listed down several scenarios, including a possible human error on the pilots’ part that led to the catastrophic crash resulting in the death of over 265 people. According to him, the altitude of the plane was so precarious, it left little time for the pilots to course correct and prevent an imminent crash. Pointing to the video that had gone viral in the aftermath of the accident, Captain Rai highlighted the fatal error of landing gear not being retracted, which he added may have contributed to the drag and prevented the plane from gaining altitude.
While the final investigation report by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will take months, aviation analysts and experts have begun dissecting the limited evidence available. Drawing upon known aircraft behavior, historical incidents, and the unique flight profile of the crash, we explore the possible causes behind the devastating mishap.
Scenario 1: Single engine failure + gear not retracted = High drag and stall
One of the most plausible theories is that the aircraft suffered a single-engine failure right after rotation — possibly due to a bird strike or internal engine malfunction. While Boeing 787s are designed to fly with one engine, the situation requires fast and accurate action by the crew.
In such high-stress moments, it is not uncommon for pilots to miss standard procedures like retracting the landing gear. Leaving the gear down adds significant aerodynamic drag. Combined with an engine out, the aircraft could have rapidly lost its ability to climb.
If the airspeed dropped below what’s called the “V2 minimum control speed,” the aircraft could stall. At 300–400 feet above ground, there’s almost no room for recovery from a stall, especially in a heavy aircraft on takeoff.
Scenario 2: Rare but catastrophic dual engine failure
While extremely rare, a dual engine failure — possibly due to simultaneous bird strikes, fuel contamination, or an unnoticed systemic failure — cannot be ruled out. Without engine power, the aircraft essentially becomes a large, powerless glider.
In this state, the pilots wouldn’t have the thrust needed to retract landing gear or maintain airspeed. Within seconds, drag would overcome lift, leading to a stall and rapid descent. A Boeing 787 at take-off weight cannot glide far from 400 feet — meaning any recovery was practically impossible.
Assuming that all fundamental checks were diligently carried out before the aircraft was cleared for take-off, a simultaneous failure of both engines appears to be the least likely scenario.
Scenario 3: Flap configuration error
Another potential failure is a misconfiguration of the take-off flaps. Flaps are extended during take-off to generate additional lift at low speeds. If the crew retracted the flaps prematurely — or worse, if they were never extended in the first place due to a checklist oversight — the aircraft would have severely reduced lift during its critical climb phase.
In scenarios where pilots confuse the flap lever with the landing gear lever (a rare but documented error under high stress), it could result in a sudden and fatal loss of lift, especially if the aircraft was already struggling with thrust.
Another aviation expert, Captain Steve hinted at the possibility of a likely human error causing the crash. His remarks came during a discussion on the possible reasons for Air India crash on a show on India Today.
Scenario 4: Auto-throttle or sensor malfunction
Modern jets rely heavily on automated systems. If a faulty airspeed or angle-of-attack sensor gave the wrong data to the flight computer, the autothrottle may have reduced engine power prematurely. A false stall warning could have led the crew to push the nose down, resulting in loss of altitude.
Similarly, a blocked pitot tube or a malfunctioning flight control system could mislead the pilots about their actual airspeed or angle of climb, setting the aircraft on a fatal trajectory without clear awareness in the cockpit.
Scenario 5: The wrong engine was shut down
This chilling possibility has precedent in aviation history — when pilots misidentify a failing engine and accidentally shut down the working one. If one engine failed and the crew mistakenly turned off the operational engine, the aircraft would instantly lose all thrust.
With such low altitude and no remaining power, the crew wouldn’t have the time or altitude to restart the correct engine or glide to safety.
Scenario 6: Sabotage or technical tampering
Though purely speculative and without public evidence, some aviation forums and social media users have raised the possibility of sabotage — ranging from deliberate tampering with systems during ground handling, to a security breach in engine servicing.
Any such scenario would drastically change the direction of the investigation and, if proven, raise serious questions about airport security and Air India’s internal procedures.
The common denominator: Loss of thrust + high drag + low altitude
Regardless of the initiating event — engine failure, flap error, or system malfunction — the one constant in all plausible scenarios is this: the aircraft experienced a sudden and unrecoverable loss of climb performance, possibly caused by reduced thrust. Without enough thrust and with increased drag (possibly due to gear or flap configuration), the plane stalled and crashed before the crew could stabilise it.
Human factors and seconds that matter
Modern aviation is a marvel of engineering, but when things go wrong in the first 60 seconds after take-off, the margin for error is razor-thin. Whether it was a mechanical failure, misjudgment in the cockpit, or a rare confluence of both, the Air India crash in Ahmedabad will likely underscore the critical importance of training, checklists, and real-time decision-making under pressure.
Until the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) reveal more, all explanations remain hypothetical. But what’s clear already is that in aviation, even the smallest error or failure — occurring at the worst possible time — can end in catastrophe.
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