Air India was blasted over 'broken planes' before crash

The Air India plane crash last week has claimed more than 260 lives. Only one passenger survived the tragic accident, with investigators currently working to deduce exactly what went wrong.

On Monday (June 16), investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the ill-fated Air India flight, which is set to be crucial to the investigation.

While the cause of the crash is unknown at the time of writing, Air India has received heavy criticism over the state of their planes in the past. The airline has doggedly defended its ‘exceptionally poor’ reputation, with some of its planes reported as having been damaged.

The investigation surrounding Air India flight AI171 is underway. The plane was heading for Gatwick from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, when it crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff. The plane came to a stop in a dining room at B J Medical College, where medical students were eating lunch.

Speaking with Agence France-Presse, resident Poonam Patni said: “When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames. Many of the bodies were burned.”

Another witness added: “We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames. We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital.”

Investigators located one of the two black boxes early on, which included logs crucial to the flight parameters such as altitude, engine performance, and speed. On Monday, the CVR, which captures audio from the cockpit, including the pilot’s conversations, alarms, and ambient sounds, was retrieved.

270 bodies recovered from Air India plane crash site

Shortly after losing signal, the pilot sent a “mayday” message to colleagues on the ground. Footage showed how the aircraft climbed away from the runway before sinking back down and disappearing behind trees, thereafter bursting into flames. More than 260 people in total have been confirmed killed in the plane crash.

On Sunday, doctors said 270 bodies had been recovered from the site. Only one passenger, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the airplane crash, officially one of the deadliest in history.

Following the tragedy, Air India made the following statement on their social media: “Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after takeoff. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

“Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,” it continued.

Air India had “extremely poor” reputation, expert says

As of today, there has been no evidence or explanation shared by the investigators. The Guardian reported that they initially focused on engine failure, as well as issues with the wing flaps and landing gear, in an attempt to trace the cause.

Air India has found itself in hot water in the past due to its ‘exceptionally poor’ reputation. Speaking with the Mirror, Rhys Jones, a luxury travel expert and editor of Head for Points, said that Air India’s reputation was “extremely poor” before the company was acquired and privatized by Tata Steel. However, it had been cleared by European and US regulators.

Jones also told The Mirror that it’s important to clarify that Air India would not have been able to be cleared if any “significant safety lapses” were found.

“Prior to privatisation, Air India’s reputation was exceptionally poor. But it’s important to remember that the airline was still deemed safe by European and American regulators, who permitted the airline to operate flights to the US, UK and Europe,” Jones said.

“If these bodies had found significant safety lapses then this would not have been permitted, as we saw over the last five years with Pakistan International Airlines which was banned from flying to these destinations until their safety record (and that of the Pakistani regulator) improved.”

Incidents involving Air India

Over the years, several incidents aboard Air India planes have been reported, including window panels breaking off and passengers complaining about the dirty interior.

In 2018, on a 30-minute flight between Amritsar and Dehli, intense turbulence resulted in the inside part of a window panel breaking loose. It resulted in an outbreak of panic among the 240 passengers as crew members tried to push the panel back in. Three people received hospital treatment.

A source told The Times of India at the time: “Passengers were naturally terrified.” They went on: “The turbulence on Flight AI 462 was such that the head of a seated passenger, who possibly did not have his seat belt fastened, hit the overhead cabin because of a bump. The person suffered injuries. Two more had minor injuries. The inside of a window panel came off. The outside window did not break, and there was no depressurization.”

While the privatization of the airline was approved by regulators, that doesn’t mean improvements to the interior were made. A year ago, YouTube channel Living Jetsetters praised the airline for its food and service but noted that several areas were “pretty outdated.” Moreover, it was “very poor hygiene” standards with stains and torn seat cushions, saying, “Air India has to improve on this.”

Power outage before takeoff

Just months ago, content creator and aviation vlogger Noel Phillips documented an “awful” flight about Air India’s “Filthy Boeing 797,” showing a “grimy” window button and how hair had been left behind from previous flights. The power also went out before takeoff, with passengers being told there had been a “technical snag.”

Noel, who traveled in business class, said: “So a passenger across the aircraft has got to their seat, and there’s like a massive bit of metal sticking out of the seat. Okay, they’ve fixed it with a bit of gaffer tape, so that’s all good, I suppose.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.