What began as a routine flight from India to the UK ended in heartbreak and confusion as an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing nearly everyone on board.
Among the 242 passengers — including 53 Britons — only one man miraculously survived.
As investigators dig deeper, troubling questions have started to emerge around what might have caused the tragic disaster.
Experts are now focusing on potential technical and human errors involving the plane’s wing flaps and landing gear.
Early Clues Point Toward Takeoff Configuration Issues
Experts reviewing video footage from the scene have zeroed in on the aircraft’s configuration during takeoff, claiming it didn’t look quite right.
Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein said the plane’s landing gear appeared to still be down — something that should not happen during the early climb phase.
More alarmingly, he noted that the takeoff flap setting might have been completely off.
These flaps are crucial for lifting the plane off the ground at lower speeds by altering the shape of the wings.
If not properly set, the aircraft simply can’t generate enough lift — and that could have catastrophic consequences.
The Role of Wing Flaps and Previous Incidents
This wouldn’t be the first time Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has faced issues related to its flaps.
Just last month, a similar model operated by American Airlines had to make four emergency landings due to flap deployment problems.
In one case, the flight was forced to return to Amsterdam shortly after takeoff.
Aviation lecturer Marco Chan from Buckinghamshire New University explained that flap settings are entirely in the hands of the pilot.
While increased flap use is intended to help the plane lift off safely, a misconfiguration can backfire — potentially causing a stall if the aircraft’s speed isn’t adequate.
Survivor’s Terrifying Experience in Seat 11A
The lone survivor, 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, recounted the terrifying moments that led to the crash.
From his hospital bed, he told reporters that the plane felt like it was “stuck in the air” within seconds of takeoff.
Lights began to flicker in strange colors — green and white — before the aircraft violently struck a building and exploded.
Ramesh had been seated near an emergency exit. Miraculously, he managed to crawl out of a gap in the fuselage after the impact.
“I thought I was dead,” he said.
“But when I opened my eyes, I realised I had survived. I saw people dying around me… I still can’t believe I made it out.”
Safety Concerns Surface About Air India
This tragic event has also reignited long-standing concerns over Air India’s safety protocols.
Sanat Kaul, a former Joint Secretary at the Civil Aviation Ministry, revealed that India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had previously issued multiple warnings to the airline.
These included alerts about poor inspection practices and lapses in maintenance.
There’s growing scrutiny over Air India’s “line maintenance” — the standard checks conducted before each flight.
If those inspections were not thorough, it could explain how a critical misconfiguration or fault was missed.
Pressure Mounts on Air India and Boeing
The Indian government is reportedly considering grounding the airline’s entire 787 fleet pending further investigation.
Air India’s CEO, Campbell Wilson, visited the crash site and promised that everything was being done to support victims’ families and to cooperate with the investigation.
However, he did not answer any questions from the press.
Meanwhile, one of the aircraft’s black boxes has already been recovered, offering hope that investigators might soon have concrete answers.
The second recorder is still being searched for in the wreckage.
What Might Happen Next?
Until the full investigation is complete, many questions remain unanswered.
Could the crash have been prevented with better training or stricter maintenance?
Was this a one-off tragedy or a symptom of deeper systemic issues within Air India and possibly Boeing’s aircraft design?
For now, the focus remains on uncovering the truth, supporting grieving families, and ensuring that lessons are learned to prevent such a heartbreaking loss of life from ever happening again.