flight safety detectives episode 275 - Air India Crash and Bombing in Middle East

Greg Feith, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia are fresh from media interviews on the Air India crash. They regroup here to share their insights with the Flight Safety Detectives audience.

An Air India 787 crashed in Ahmedabad, India on June 12. The detectives want to put the brakes on the media, aviation commentators and social media posters who are providing bad information about the cause of the crash.

Many people speaking out, including pilots and other aviation professionals, are demonstrating little understanding of 787 systems and procedures. They are misrepresenting the limited information available about the event. This is a disservice to the public as well as aviation safety.

Boeing 787 Systems Explained
Greg explains how the 787 flap and slat system operates and how that led many commentators to misinterpret what they saw in the two videos of the crash that have been widely circulated. The main landing gear is visible in the videos, leading some commentators to speculate that the crew neglected to raise it. Greg notes that one of the videos showed clear evidence that the landing gear was in the process of being raised.

The audio of one of the videos suggested that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed. John and Greg detail how the RAT provides critical hydraulic and electrical capacity to the aircraft. They describe several ways the system can be deployed manually or automatically.

Todd, John, and Greg all criticize the Indian authorities’ management of the accident investigation. Video clips of the accident scene show that news media and others had relatively free access to the site. Evidence from the accident scene was disturbed before investigative authorities could inspect it. The lack of security may make it hard to fully understand why the aircraft crashed.
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Middle East Conflict Impacts Flight Safety
A major military conflict between Iran and Israel began the day after the Air India crash, dramatically changing flight patterns in that part of the world. Flights may be disrupted further should the conflict intensify. Passengers and flight crews in that area should be prepared with alternative plans should the situation change for the worse.

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