Deadly Air India Dreamliner Crash Likely Due To Rare Dual Engine Failure: UK Report

A devastating crash involving Air India Flight 171, which killed 279 people—including 52 Britons—is drawing sharp global scrutiny, as a new report by the UK’s Sunday Times suggests a rare dual engine flameout and the emergency deployment of a ram air turbine (RAT) may have led to the tragedy. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, suffered a total power loss within moments of take-off from Ahmedabad.

The investigation has shifted away from earlier speculation around the jet’s flap and gear configurations. Instead, experts now suspect a catastrophic systems failure, making the accident both unprecedented and deeply concerning for global aviation authorities.

Co-Pilot’s Mayday Call, Survivor’s Account Point to Power Loss

The flight, bound for London Gatwick, was airborne for just 30 seconds before the co-pilot reportedly radioed a chilling Mayday: “Thrust not achieved. Falling.” The jet crashed southwest of the airport, killing everyone on board except one survivor — British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in 11A.

From his hospital bed, Ramesh told the press, “I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out.” His brother Ajay, who was also on the flight, did not survive. He recalled the cabin lights flickering and a loud bang moments before impact — further reinforcing the power loss theory.

Juan Browne, an American airline pilot and aviation YouTuber, was quoted by The Times as saying, “There was something terribly wrong with this 787 jet… because we’ve got a thousand of these operating today and operators need to find out what happened.”

RAT Deployment Suggests Total Electrical Failure

Experts analysing crash footage and flight tracking data say the deployment of the ram air turbine—a backup power generator used only in extreme emergencies—is a major clue. Aviation consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes told The Times, “You can clearly hear the RAT at the end — a characteristic whine that sounds a bit like a circular saw. It means the aircraft had no electrical power and needed emergency generation.”

The undercarriage never retracted and the wing flaps appeared drawn in unusually early, both anomalies that typically indicate a major systems malfunction.

Captain Steve Scheibner of American Airlines, analysing the clues, said, “I’m solidly in the camp that there was dual engine failure. The RAT is deployed. You can hear it.”

Steve Scheibner, an American Airlines Boeing 777 captain, told The Times that the new evidence showed the Indian Boeing had suffered a double power loss rather than a loss of lift caused by other factors, as first suspected.

“I’m solidly in the camp that there was dual engine failure. The RAT is deployed. You can hear it,” he said. “We have no idea why both engines on a 787 would flame out right after take-off,” Scheibner told the Times.

Bird Strike, Fuel Blockage, and Overloading Ruled Out

Investigations are now focusing on what could have caused a simultaneous failure of both engines — a rare event. One theory is a fuel blockage, another is bird strike, though experts and the report itself caution that the likelihood of both engines failing from birds is extremely low, especially given the smaller bird species common around Ahmedabad airport.

A preliminary probe into the crash has ruled out key causes. According to a news outlet citing India’s apex civil aviation authority – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s assessment, a bird strike is unlikely as no remains were found, and the aircraft wasn’t overloaded — several seats were vacant and load distribution was normal. Pilot error is also seen as an unlikely cause. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience under his belt and was on the verge of retirement. Clive Kunder, the co-pilot, had over 1,100 hours of flying experience to his credit as well.

An unnamed expert quoted by The Times observed: “A bird strike usually takes out one engine and you can fly perfectly well on one. Taking out two, like the Miracle on the Hudson, is extremely rare.”

Global Probe Underway; Black Box Recovered

Meanwhile, the DGCA has since announced inspections of all Boeing 787s in the country. Also, investigators from the US, UK, Portugal, Canada and Boeing have landed in India to examine black box data, flight control systems, and maintenance records.

The aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the tail section on Friday. Experts caution that it may take months before the sequence of failures can be fully understood.

India’s Deadliest Crash in Decades

This tragedy marks the deadliest aviation crash in India in decades, and the first involving a Boeing Dreamliner, a model with over 1,100 aircraft in service globally. It also represents the largest loss of British civilian lives in an air crash since 9/11.

In the words of aviation expert Philip Butterworth-Hayes, quoted by The Times: “All plane crashes are mysterious because they shouldn’t happen. All aircraft have triple redundancies built in so there has to have been two or three sequential failures.” “So I don’t think it’s a technical or mechanical issue. Something very odd happened, either in the cockpit or to the engines,” Butterworth-Hayes concluded.

Kirti Pandey is a senior independent journalist.

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