Was Boeing's major accident caused by internal or external factors?
A particularly tragic incident occurred in India yesterday. An Air India Boeing 787-8 passenger plane crashed! This matter has really caused a big stir.
Basic information of the accident
At 1:38 p.m. local time on the 12th, the plane had just taken off from Ahmedabad International Airport for a short while when it sent out a distress signal and then lost contact with the ground. Finally, it fell not far from the airport in an area with a high density of houses, destroying a medical college dormitory building. Immediately after, it exploded and caught fire. The scene was terrifying. When the plane disintegrated, thick smoke shot up into the sky and many houses around were affected.
The casualties are very serious
The search and rescue operation is now over. This accident was extremely tragic. At least 265 people died, and among the 242 people on board, only one survived. This survivor was a passenger in seat 11A. Videos have captured him walking out of the crash site, but both his chest and face were injured. He said that just thirty seconds after the plane took off, a loud noise was heard and then the plane crashed.
Why did it crash?
There is no definite certainty yet. Experts analyze that there could be several situations, such as insufficient engine thrust, malfunction of the control panel, birds being sucked into the engine, or human operational errors. The plane suddenly descended when the altitude was approximately 190 meters. This aircraft has been in service for over 11 years. Although the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has carried many people before and is a wide-body aircraft that transported over one billion passengers quite quickly, this is also the first time it has had a fatal air crash. Due to this accident, Boeing's share price dropped by 8% during pre-market trading on the US stock market.
Reactions from all parties
In India, the Home Minister has said that there were nearly 125,000 liters of fuel on the plane. After the crash, due to the high temperature and a large amount of fuel, there was simply no chance to save people. The Indian government has also acted quickly. The National Disaster Response Force, fire department and police have all gone to the emergency search and rescue. Many emergency centers have also been operational. DNA samples from the passengers' families have been collected to confirm the identities of the deceased. Air India has also established an emergency hotline and emergency contact center to cooperate with the investigation. The Civil Aviation Minister of India said that the Investigation Bureau has launched a formal investigation and an expert committee still needs to be formed to review the matter.
The National Transportation Safety Board of the United States is going to send an investigation team to India for assistance, and the Federal Aviation Administration also provides technical support. The UK also sent an investigation team to assist in the investigation because there were citizens of their country on the plane. Many countries have issued statements expressing their condolences over this matter. This plane crash in India is really heart-wrenching. I hope the cause can be found out as soon as possible and an account can be given to the victims and their families.
