Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Probe Reveals ‘Electric Fire’ Triggered Just 26 Seconds After Takeoff
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A shocking revelation has come to light in the investigation of Air India's AI-171 aircraft that crashed soon after takeoff in Ahmedabad on June 12. The investigation team has found evidence of a limited electric fire in the tail section of the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft, which has raised suspicions that the cause of the accident could be a major fault in the aircraft's electrical system.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the tail section of the plane was relatively less damaged in the main crash and fuel explosion. Investigation has revealed signs of fire in some electric parts of this part. Officials believe that this fire may have started during the flight, which points to a fault in the main power supply of the plane. All the equipment recovered from the tail section has been kept safe in Ahmedabad for further investigation.
The investigation team had found the plane's rear black box (flight data recorder) on the roof of the BJ Medical College hostel, but it was so badly burnt in the fire that it was not possible to extract data from it. However, 49 hours of flight information and two hours of audio recording just before the crash have been successfully retrieved from the front black box recovered from the debris on June 16.
The investigation also revealed that just before the accident flight, during the flight (AI-423) from Delhi to Ahmedabad, a fault was detected in the stabilizer position transducer (STAB POS XDCR) of the aircraft. This part is located in the tail section of the aircraft. Although the maintenance team in Ahmedabad claimed to have fixed it, it is now the focus of the investigation.
This theory is also strengthened by the statement of Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the only surviving passenger in the accident, who said that after take-off, the cabin lights were repeatedly going off.
The aircraft's Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), which is located in the tail section, was found to be safe. Data showed that the APU was automatically activated in auto-start mode at the time of the accident, which is another strong indication that the aircraft's main power system had failed and the fuel supply to both engines had stopped within seconds.