NEW DELHI: The horrendous Air India crash at Ahmedabad which resulted in 241 fatalities was most probably caused by a bird (kite) hit, which resulted in the rare failure of both the engines simultaneously, say experts who are also former pilots well versed with the operations of this wide-bodied plane.
Captain C S Randhawa, who has flown a Boeing 777 for 15 years, and was the former Deputy Chief Flight Inspector, Operations, at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said, “Three possible reasons could be behind the crash – a bird hit shutting down both the engines, the contamination of the fuel with water and a control jam issue. The most probable one appears to the bird hit.”
Randhawa said the Dreamliner would have been fully stocked with 70,000 litres of aviation turbine fuel loaded onto it. “After take-off, the captain appears to have applied the gear up at 50 feet and at 250 feet, the auto-pilot was switched on which is as per procedure. However, at 500 to 600 feet, he announced a Mayday call (severe emergency) to the Air Traffic Control. While the reason is usually immediately spelt out, in this case there appears to have been no time for him to state it.“
An aircraft can be struck by a bird or a flock of birds suddenly, causing total damage to the engine, he said, adding, "Both Ahmedabad and Agra airports are full of birds. Incidents of aircraft being hit by birds keep happening on and off."
Recalling a similar incident of twin engine failure which happened on January 15, 2009, to US Airways flight 1549, Randhawa said, “The Airbus A320, which took off from La Guardia airport, suffered a double engine failure after it struck a flock of birds. Fortunately, the captain was able to steer it into the Hudson Bay and all the 155 passengers on board survived.”
Another possibility is the presence of water inside the fuel when loaded which could have a caused fuel contamination and the sudden seizure of engines, he added. Another theory is that of a control jam. When this technical fault happens, the controls like rudders and elevators (which help in lifting the flight) among others may have failed. “All we can do is speculate on the reasons. When the digital flight recorder and the cockpit voice recorder are recovered, the real reasons will be out,” Randhawa added.
Aviation safety consultant and instructor Captain Mohan Ranganathan said, "Bird hit appears to be the reason as of now. Ahmedabad airport has a history of a huge bird population. I flagged this issue 17 years ago and have written extensively about it too."
He alleged, “The reason for such a huge presence is due to slaughterhouses in the vicinity of airports which should never have been allowed. They are never relocated by the authorities because they are owned by politicians or their relatives.”
There are multiple building height violations near the airport premises too, which should never have been permitted, he said. “At Mumbai airport, the structural violations issue was ordered to be monitored by the High Court. If a similar incident happens at Delhi on Runway 09, the flight will head right into Vasant Vihar,” he added.
