Air India’s Dreamliner Crash: An Air India flight heading to London, flight AI171, crashed only 32 seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12. The early report says both engines lost fuel supply almost at the same time, just a second apart. The pilots got confused during those few moments and couldn’t bring back the engine power quickly enough.
Here is a look at the sequence of events leading to the deadly crash:
- 11:17 Hrs IST: Air India Dreamliner VT-ANB lands in Ahmedabad from New Delhi, operating as flight AI423.
- 13:13:00 Hrs: Aircraft requests pushback and start up.
- 13:13:13 Hrs: ATC approved pushback.
- 13:16:59 Hrs: ATC approved start up.
- 13:18:38 Hrs: Aircraft departs from Bay 34 at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
- 13:19:12 Hrs: ATC queried if the aircraft required the full length of the runway. The aircraft confirmed the requirement of full length of Runway 23.
- 13:25:15 Hrs: Aircraft requests taxi clearance, which was granted by air traffic control (ATC).
- 13:26:00 Hrs: Aircraft taxis to Runway 23 via Taxiway R4, backtracked and lined up for take-off.
- 13:32:03 Hrs: Aircraft transferred from ground to tower control.
- 13:33:45 Hrs: Aircraft instructed to line up on the Runway 23.
- 13.37:37 Hrs: ATC clears take-off from Runway 23.
- 13.37:37 Hrs: Takeoff roll starts.
- 13:38:39 Hrs: Liftoff from runway.
- 13:38:42 Hrs: The plane reached its top speed of 180 knots. Right after that, fuel switches for both engines moved from RUN to CUTOFF, just a second apart. That made the engines start slowing down because fuel stopped going to them. The Ram Air Turbine, or RAT, came out right after the plane lifted off during the first climb. One of the pilots asked the other why he shut off the fuel, and the other replied that he didn’t do it.
- 13:38:47 Hrs: Both Engine N1 and N2 drop below minimum idle speed. The RAT’s pump begins supplying hydraulic power.
- 13:38:52 Hrs: Engine N1 fuel cut-off switch moves to RUN from CUTOFF.
- 13:38:56 Hrs: Engine N2’s fuel cutoff switch too rest to RUN. Both engines relight, and Engine 1 begins to recover. Engine 2 is unable to reverse deceleration.
- 13:39:05 Hrs: One of the two pilots issues a distress “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY” call.
- 13:39:11 Hrs: Data recording from the aircraft stops.
- 13:44:44 Hrs: Fire tenders leave airport premises for rescue and firefighting
