Scenario analysis: What may have gone wrong with AI 171

The Boeing 787 aircraft that crashed 33 seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad has left the aviation industry stunned, with experts examining what could have gone wrong with the 11-year-old aircraft carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew.

- Neha LM Tripathi

Video evidence from a surveillance camera at the airport provided some clues about the accident sequence. The plane followed a normal take-off trajectory before suddenly losing its ability to climb. Moments later, it slowly descended into the horizon and erupted into a ball of fire.

According to officials aware of the matter, a Mayday call was issued by the pilots shortly after take-off.

HT spoke to experts on possible scenarios that may have unfolded in the moments before the crash. While they all cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions, they agreed that the profile of the flight in its final moments—maintaining a nose-up attitude while descending—was consistent with sudden, severe power loss.

"A B787 aircraft has extremely powerful engines; it is hard to guess what went wrong," said Amit Singh, founder of Safety Matters Foundation. "It looks like the pilot could not get adequate thrust and realized the issue immediately after take-off."