Air India plane crash | “Everything went wrong”: From configuration errors to overloading, theories behind India’s worst aviation disaster in decades

Indian air crash: Nearly 10 days have passed since one of India’s worst aviation disasters in decades, and according to experts, this situation once happened a million dollars, but investigators are still looking for answers.

On June 12, Air India’s AI 717 crashed less than 40 seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, killing about 270 people, including one on 242 ships and several residents on the ground.

Video | Ahmedabad plane crash: New visuals show a lot of smoke rolling out from the airport site. The London kidnapping plane crashed earlier today near Ahmedabad Airport.

(Source: third party)

(Full videos available in PTI videos – pic.twitter.com/otfn9mursz

– News Trust in India (@pti_news) June 12, 2025

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner sailed to London Gatwick and landed in the city’s Meghaninagar area, hitting Mess Hall in the residential area and BJ Medical College. The flight departs at 1:39 pm local time. Pilot Captain Sabaharwar and Emergency Officer Clive Kundar made a Mayday call shortly after rising. This is the final communication before the plane loses its altitude and crashes in flames.

Please read also:Ahmedabad plane crash: May issue phone call from Air India pilot before flight crashed on ship 242 near the airport

AAIB investigation is underway

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) multidisciplinary team is leading the investigation. A high-level committee of the Union Home Secretary is also under investigation and is expected to submit a report within three months.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that both sets of black boxes, digital flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders have been restored. One discovered one on June 13 and the other on June 16, the ministry said in a statement. “The investigation is going steadily and has all the necessary support from local authorities and agencies.”

In a recent interview with the news channel, Air India and Tata son chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the plane had no known fault and that both pilots were “excellent”. “There are a lot of speculation and theories, but the fact is, this particular aircraft has a clear history,” he said.

He said the right engine was replaced by a new engine in March 2025, while the left engine was last repaired in 2023 and inspected in December. After his comments, speculation surrounding the collapse of AI 717 has intensified, and there are now multiple theories under scrutiny.

Please read also: After the tragedy of AI171 in Ahmedabad, Air India trims 15% of the international service sector of wide-body aircraft

As the investigation is underway, the biggest problem surrounding AI171’s bad fortune is underway

• Is the plane overloaded or incorrect?
• Have these two engines failed in the air?
• Did the crew error or wrong judgment occur?
• Is the flap set incorrectly or retracted too early?
• Does extreme surface heat affect performance in Ahmedabad?
• Are there critical electrical or hydraulic failures?
• Why don’t the landing gear gear retract?

This is what experts say about each theory, their credibility and what has been excluded.

– Is there a co-pilot error or configuration error?

Captain Ehsan Khalid, a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot and aviation expert, rejected the theory that pilots were wrong or take-off errors. “Modern aircraft can prevent such errors. If the aircraft is not properly equipped, the system will issue loud audio and visual warnings, making it nearly impossible for the crew to do it without correcting it.”

He also refuted the theory that pilots might have mistakenly retracted their flaps instead of landing gear. He added: “Even if the flaps are retracted by chance, they don’t rise instantly, which takes 10 to 15 seconds. By then, the plane will usually climb 400 to 500 feet. In the worst case, this will result in smaller heights, about 75 to 150 feet, rather than catastrophic failure.”

Speaking of the theory that pilots may mistakenly pull out the wrong lever, similar to what happened in the Pokhara crash, air safety expert Captain Amit Singh dismissed the situation.

In some aircraft, putting similar levers close to pressure can cause confusion. However, on this plane, the landing gear lever is located in the front and the flap lever is located on the side, close to the pilot’s hips. It requires intentional sideways to be manually moved to reach,” he explained in a conversation with Zeebiz.com.

He further pointed out that both levers have safety mechanisms. Singh added: “In particular, the flap bar has a safe catch that must be lifted before moving.

– Has extreme heat become a catalyst for collapse?

Extreme heat has the potential to play a role, according to Vipul Saxena, an aviation expert who told Zeebiz.com. Conditions in Ahmedabad that day may have put increased pressure on the plane.

“That day, Ahmedabad recorded ambient temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, but the surface temperature could be as high as 45 degrees Celsius due to ground heating,” Saxner explained. “This ground effect hovers around the ground and affects the performance of the aircraft, especially during takeoff. It reduces engine efficiency and can extend 100 feet above the ground.”

Saxner uses a simple analogy to explain the science behind it, saying, “As heat, air or gas… they expand.” According to him, this expansion reduces the air density, which in turn affects the lift and makes the engine work harder, especially when it comes to the appearance, every little bit of performance is important.

However, Khalid dismisses the idea that heat alone can lead to failure of both engines. “These aircraft operate at this temperature. Although high temperatures do reduce engine performance, pre-flight planning is done by adjusting the load,” he said.

Singh pointed out that supporting this, “the aircraft engine is also powerful enough, even if it fails.

– Overload or weight imbalance?

Singh called overload or weight imbalance a serious and potential criminal problem, saying these factors, if confirmed, could constitute negligence. He noted that engine failures are rare – 99.99% of engines do not fail – and overloads usually don’t attract attention unless they match other failures.

“In this case, the aircraft may face a combination of various challenges – weight, high temperatures, engine failures and landing gear that has not been withdrawn. All of this can turn a bad day into a disaster,” Singh said.

Khalid echoed the need for clarity, stressing that investigators must determine if the aircraft is overloaded and, if so, how much is needed. “We have records, the number of passengers, the fuel load, the weight of the cargo. Is it five tonnes, 10 tonnes or more? We don’t know yet, but that will be the key to understanding what’s wrong,” he said.

– Experts point out the power failure of AI 717 crash

Saxena explained that activation of RAM gas turbines (rats) during Air India flights indicated a power failure on board. “Rats can only operate when the engine is insufficient or hydraulically malfunctioning, which can affect systems such as landing gear withdrawal and flight control,” Saxena said.

He added that high ground temperatures may have reduced engine efficiency, resulting in low power output and triggered rats. “Rats can help lower the landing gear, but don’t generate enough power to retract it. So once the gears fall off, they lower, increase drag and require more thrust, which the aircraft is already working to produce.”

According to Khalid, the most credible reason is catastrophic power failures that damage the aircraft’s computer control systems, especially the Electronic Engine Control (EEC) and Fuel Control Unit (FCU). These systems regulate engine performance. If they receive a signal of a failure due to a power failure, they can shut down both engines in the air.

Khalid cited similar events in 2019, involving the Boeing 787 in Osaka, where software logic caused both engines to shut down the landing volume. When this happens on the ground, he notices that similar failures may occur in flight if the critical sensor or electric unit fails.

He also pointed to visible signs: landing gear not withdrawn, rat deployment and lack of engines – all of which indicate total loss of electrical and hydraulic support, consistent with twin-engine failures triggered by system-level failures, rather than pilot errors.

Air India plane crash: So, what actually lowers AI 717?

Experts remain split. Aviation analyst Vipul Saxena attributed it to extreme surface heat in Ahmedabad, with temperatures close to 45 degrees Celsius, which could lead to engine losses due to reduced air density, leading to a series of failure chains that triggered a series of failures, electrical systems tripping, rat deployment, landing gear may not be withdrawn, increasing drag. Saxena believes these conditions resulted in a fatal decline in the aircraft without pointing to any pilot or mechanical errors.

However, Captain Amit Singh remains cautious and suggests that overload or misjudgment cannot be ruled out, while aviation expert Ehsan Khalid may have a possible electrical system crash in the middle of Osaka, similar to the 2019 incident in Osaka, involving a Boeing 787 aircraft. Some even recalled the 1991 Lauda Air disaster, causing the radar air pulsation to completely drive the driver of the radar (Ruda Air) but drive the counterattack. Currently, investigators are decoding the black box, and until the data speaks about this data, the real reason is still based on guesswork.