The Air India aircraft’s lower altitude led to additional challenges for the pilot, limiting both maneuverability and reaction time in a critical situation, Pushkar Shelar, a trained commercial pilot, told NDTV Profit.
In one of the deadliest plane crashes in India’s aviation history, the Air India flight that was heading to London from Ahmedabad on Thursday, crashed shortly after take-off, killing all but one person on board. The passengers included 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian nationals.
NDTV Profit spoke to experts who conducted flight simulation with similar challenge parameters that the crashed Air India flight faced.
Shelar said that preliminary considerations suggested a possible technical fault leading to the disaster. However, he said speculations must be avoided until the official investigation results are declared.
“It’s reasonable to assume that the pre-flight checklist was followed diligently, given established protocols,” Shelar added.
Squadron leader Ajay Paranjpe said that to obtain a commercial pilot license, it’s compulsory for the pilots to complete a minimum of 200 flying hours.
“However, the specific pre-requisite flying hours vary depending on the type of aircraft, as different models have distinct training requirements and operational demands,” Paranjpe added.
‘Mayday’ Call That Air India Pilot Issued
The Air India flight sent a ‘Mayday’ call to the Air Traffic Control immediately after the take-off.
Before a Mayday call was sent as a last resort, air traffic control would have received multiple emergency messages, explained Trupti Karnavat, a trained commercial pilot.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said, “As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from Runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.”
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