🔥 Air India AI171 Crash: What Really Happened to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?
Date of Incident: June 2025
Flight: Air India AI171 | Aircraft: Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Route: Ahmedabad to London
Fatalities: Estimated 270+
Survivors: 1
✈️ Flight AI171: A Routine Takeoff That Turned Into Tragedy
On a clear afternoon in June 2025, Air India flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad bound for London. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, had just arrived from Delhi and was cleared for takeoff after refueling.
But within minutes of leaving the runway, everything went wrong.
The landing gear refused to retract, and the wing flaps were retracted instead of extended—a catastrophic error during takeoff. At just 625 feet altitude, the pilots radioed air traffic control:
“Thrust not achieved.”
Seconds later, the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, igniting a massive fire and killing nearly everyone onboard. Only one passenger survived by escaping through an emergency exit.
📊 Key Flight and Crew Details
Departure Time: 1:48 PM (delayed from 1:10 PM)
Aircraft: Boeing 787 Dreamliner
People Onboard: 242 (230 passengers + 12 crew)
Pilots:
- Capt. Sumit Sabharwal (8200 hours)
- Co-pilot Clive Kunder (10,100 hours)
Pre-flight checks: No warnings reported
Weather: Clear skies, warm but safe conditions
🛑 What Caused the Crash? Breaking Down the Failures
🔧 1. Landing Gear and Flaps Malfunctioned
- Landing gear did not retract
- Flaps were retracted instead of deployed
- Result: Insufficient lift, unable to gain altitude
⚡ 2. Loss of Engine Thrust
- Pilots reported “thrust not achieved”
- Possible dual engine failure or total power loss
🌀 3. Emergency RAT Deployment
- Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed mid-air — only happens in:
- Dual engine failure
- Hydraulic system failure
- Total electrical failure
- Confirmed by video evidence and audio analysis
🧪 Was Contaminated Jet Fuel to Blame?
Experts are investigating fuel contamination as the leading theory behind the engine failure. Contaminants such as:
- Water
- Microbial growth
- Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)
...can clog filters and damage fuel pumps.
Related Case:
In 2019, a Japan Airlines 787 safely landed after suffering engine issues from contaminated fuel.
Investigators are now scrutinizing fuel suppliers at Ahmedabad Airport (Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Reliance).
🔋 Could It Be Electrical System Failure?
Another possibility is total electrical failure, which would:
- Cut power to flight controls
- Prevent engine restart
- Trigger the RAT for emergency power
Boeing 787’s Electrical History:
- Grounded worldwide in 2013 for battery fires
- Past incidents involving:
- Windshield cracking
- Engine part replacements
- Battery overheating
The Dreamliner, while modern, has a history of electrical vulnerabilities.
🏗️ Boeing Under Fire (Again)
This crash puts Boeing’s manufacturing quality under renewed scrutiny:
- Whistleblowers exposed defective parts and ignored safety warnings
- Poor quality control at Charleston factory
- Accusations of prioritizing profits over safety
- Similar patterns seen in the Boeing 737 MAX disasters
📌 Did you know? Some Boeing workers reportedly refused to fly in Dreamliners they built.
🔧 Air India’s Maintenance & Safety Lapses
Maintenance Responsibility:
- Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) — a government-owned company
Ongoing Issues:
- Delayed inspections (last major check was 2 years ago)
- Recent engine repairs (March & April 2025)
- Next check was due in December 2025
- Fake reports and audit failures
- Pilot fatigue and overwork
A troubling picture of operational stress and management oversight emerges.
🧠 Final Analysis: A Chain Reaction of Failures
This tragedy wasn’t caused by a single fault — it was a cascade of systemic failures, including:
- Engine thrust loss
- Improper flap settings
- Fuel contamination or electrical breakdown
- Delayed maintenance
- Manufacturing defects
🛑 Key Insight:
This was not just an accident — it was the failure of multiple safety layers, from design and engineering to operations and oversight.
📝 What’s Next?
- A preliminary investigation report is expected within 30 days, per ICAO rules.
- Global aviation regulators are monitoring developments closely.
- Scrutiny is intensifying on Boeing, Air India, and fuel suppliers.
🚨 Conclusion: Aviation Safety Is on Trial
This is the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner — and it has shattered the aircraft’s reputation for safety.
More than a tragedy, AI171 is a wake-up call. It exposes critical flaws in:
- Modern aircraft design
- Airline maintenance culture
- Global aviation regulation
As investigations continue, one thing is clear:
Safety cannot be assumed — it must be engineered, maintained, and enforced at every level.
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