Global Lens Weighs Potential Air India Flight 171 Crash Causes
PM Narendra Modi at the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad on Friday! (Image X.com)
Air India Flight 171 Crash: India’s Strong Aviation Standards Deepen Mystery as Investigation Unfolds
By KUMAR VIKRAM
NEW DELHI, June 26, 2025 – The catastrophic crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12, 2025, which claimed 270 lives, left investigators puzzled, given India’s robust aviation safety metrics. According to a Nikkei Asia report, India boasts stronger operational and airworthiness standards than both China and the United States, with no clear red flags pointing to the cause of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s plunge just 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
As the investigation intensifies, global experts are scrutinizing wreckage and black box data to unravel one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in decades. India’s aviation sector shines in global safety audits, scoring 94.02% in operations and 97.06% in airworthiness—encompassing aircraft condition and maintenance—per the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 2022 assessment, said the Japanese media outlet. In contrast, it added, China scored 90% and 94.8%, while the US scored 86.5% and 89.13% in their 2024 audits. Nikkei Asia’s analysis underscores that India’s high marks make systemic failures an unlikely culprit for Flight 171’s crash, deepening the mystery surrounding the tragedy.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar, killing 241 of 242 aboard and 29 on the ground. The sole survivor, British citizen Vishwaskumar Ramesh, escaped with non-life-threatening injuries. The Guardian reported that investigators are focusing on engine thrust, wing flaps, and landing gear, with Air India’s maintenance regime under scrutiny. The flight crew’s mayday call, citing loss of power and thrust, led some experts to suspect dual-engine failure, supported by video evidence showing the automatic deployment of the ram air turbine (RAT), a backup power system.
Both black boxes—the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder—have been recovered, with analysis underway at India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi. The BBC noted that decoding is led by Indian investigators, with assistance from Boeing, GE Aerospace, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and UK experts. Peter Goelz, former NTSB managing director, told the BBC, “Teams can usually determine what happened fairly quickly, but understanding why it happened can take much longer.” A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, per ICAO protocol.
Air India, acquired by the Tata Group in 2022, clarified that Flight 171’s aircraft had a “clean history,” with a new right engine installed in March 2025 and the left engine last serviced in 2023. The Guardian cited aviation safety consultant John Cox, who suggested investigators examine whether the plane was properly configured, particularly the slats and flaps, based on grainy footage.
The crash, the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, dealt a blow to Air India’s turnaround efforts under Tata ownership. Nikkei Asia reported that the airline had been improving its image with new aircraft investments, but this tragedy threatens its ambitious revival.
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