Aviation experts say that the Gatwick-bound Boeing that crashed in India, reportedly with no survivors, may have suddenly lost power ‘at the most critical phase of flight’ after takeoff.
Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers including 53 Britons, crashed shortly after departing Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat this morning.
Video showed the plane rapidly descending into a residential area with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed before it exploded in a huge fireball upon impact.
Authorities confirmed that no one is believed to have survived the crash, while rescuers told reporters at the scene that they had recovered dozens of bodies of people inside buildings that the plane smashed into as it came down.
The possible causes of the tragedy could include a rapid change in wind causing an engine stall, or a bird strike on both engines.
Officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are now at the scene to carry out an analysis of the wreckage and retrieve the stricken jet’s black box.
Lt. Col. John R. Davidson, a former US Air Force pilot and commercial aviation safety consultant, said the plane appeared to have reached takeoff speed but not altitude, according to flight data, suggesting ‘either a very late rotation or a stall shortly after takeoff’.
‘There are a number of possible scenarios: thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor trim or flap configuration, or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft’s ability to climb,’ he said.
‘Weather, windshear or even bird strike can’t be ruled out either at this early stage.’
Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, told NDTV that circulating footage showing the plane’s terrifying descent ‘looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power’.
‘The takeoff was perfect,’ he said. ‘And just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift.’
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This wide angle shot shows the entire scene of the plane crash. The tail and parts of the fuselage are seen on the building to the right, with the bulk of the jet having smashed into the buildings further on
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The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon in this horrifying clip
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A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed
Videos show wreckage of horror India Air flight crash
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Parts of the jet appeared to have smashed into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital
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Remnants of the fuselage and the landing gear were seen dangling through a gaping hole in the side of what appeared to be a canteen, with half-finished plates of food clearly visible on benches inside
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People look at the debris of an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad of India’s Gujarat state
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Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June12, 2025
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Search and rescue teams respond to the scene of a plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, June 12, 2025
