Air India Plane Crash | ‘Everything went wrong’: From configuration error to overloading, experts decode theories behind India’s worst aviation catastrophe in decades

Air India Plane Crash: Nearly 10 days have passed since one of India’s worst aviation disasters in decades, a case that, according to experts, happens once in a million, but investigators are still searching for answers.

On June 12, Air India flight AI 717 crashed less than 40 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, killing around 260 people, including all except one out of 242 onboard and several residents on the ground.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, went down in the Meghaninagar area of the city, striking the residential quarters and mess hall of BJ Medical College. The flight took off at 1:39 pm local time. Pilots Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar made a mayday call shortly after liftoff. It was the final communication from the aircraft before it lost altitude and crashed in flames.

Also Read:Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Air India pilot issued Mayday call before flight with 242 onboard crashed near airport

AAIB investigation underway

A multi-disciplinary team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the probe. A high-level committee under the Union home secretary is also investigating and is expected to submit its report within three months.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that both sets of black boxes, the digital flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, have been recovered. One was found on June 13, the other on June 16. “The investigation is progressing steadily with all necessary support from local authorities and agencies,” the ministry said in a statement.

In a recent interview with a news channel, Air India and Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran stated that the aircraft had no known faults and that both pilots were “exceptional.” “There are a lot of speculations and theories,” he said, adding, “But the fact is, this specific aircraft has a clean history.”

He said the right engine had been replaced with a new one in March 2025, while the left engine was last serviced in 2023 and was due for a check in December. Following his remarks, speculation around the AI 717 crash intensified, with multiple theories now under scrutiny.

Also Read: After Ahmedabad AI171 tragedy, Air India trims widebody aircraft-operated international services by 15%

Biggest questions surrounding ill-fated AI171 as investigations are underway

• Was the aircraft overloaded or improperly balanced?
• Did both engines fail mid-air?
• Did a crew error or misjudgment occur?
• Were the flaps incorrectly set or retracted too early?
• Did extreme surface heat in Ahmedabad impact performance?
• Was there a critical electrical or hydraulic failure?
• Why didn’t the landing gear retract?

Here’s what experts say about each theory, how credible they are, and which have already been ruled out.

- Was there a co-pilot error or configuration mistake?

Veteran Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot and aviation expert Captain Ehsan Khalid has rejected the theory of pilot error or takeoff misconfiguration. “Modern aircraft have extensive automation that prevents such mistakes. If the aircraft isn't in the correct configuration for takeoff, the system issues loud audio and visual warnings, making it virtually impossible for the crew to proceed without correcting it,” he told Zeebiz.com.

He also dismissed the theory that the pilot may have mistakenly retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear. “Even if flaps were retracted accidentally, they don’t go up instantaneously, it takes 10 to 15 seconds. By then, the aircraft would typically have climbed 400 to 500 feet. At worst, this would cause a minor loss in altitude, around 75 to 150 feet, not a catastrophic failure,” he added.

Addressing the theory that the pilot may have mistakenly pulled the wrong lever, similar to what occurred in the Pokhara crash, Captain Amit Singh, an air safety expert, dismissed the possibility in this case.

“In some aircraft, similar-looking levers placed close together can cause confusion under pressure. But in this aircraft, the landing gear lever is positioned in front, while the flap lever is located to the side, near the pilot’s hip. It would require a deliberate sideways hand movement to reach it,” he explained in conversation with Zeebiz.com.

He further noted that both levers are designed with safety mechanisms. “Especially the flap lever, it has a safety catch that must be lifted before it can be moved. Accidental retraction is highly unlikely,” Singh added.

Also Read:DGCA cracks down on Air India over crew scheduling violations; 3 senior officials removed, show-cause notice issued  

-Could extreme heat have become a catalyst in crash?

According to aviation expert Vipul Saxena, who told Zeebiz.com, there is a possibility that extreme heat played a role. The conditions in Ahmedabad that day may have created an added layer of stress for the aircraft.

“On that day, Ahmedabad recorded an ambient temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, but due to ground heating, the surface temperature could have been as high as 45 degrees Celsius,” Saxena explained, referring to what is known as the "ground effect." “This ground effect, where hot air lingers near the surface, can impact aircraft performance, especially during takeoff. It reduces engine efficiency and can extend up to 100 feet above ground,” he added.

Using a simple analogy to explain the science behind it, Saxena said: “With the heat, air or gas... they expand.”  This expansion reduces air density, which in turn affects lift and makes engines work harder, especially during takeoff when every bit of performance matters, according to him.

However, Khalid dismissed the idea that heat alone could cause both engines to fail. “These aircraft are built to operate in such temperatures. While high heat does reduce engine performance, that’s factored into pre-flight planning through load adjustments,” he said.

Backing this, Singh noted, “Aircraft engines are powerful enough to fly even if one fails. Systems are designed with tolerances to handle such conditions.”

- Overloading or weight imbalance?

Singh termed overloading or weight imbalance a serious and potentially criminal concern, stating that such factors, if confirmed, could amount to culpable negligence. He noted that engine failures are rare — 99.99 per cent of engines don’t fail — and said overloading typically goes unnoticed unless it coincides with other failures.

“In this case, the aircraft may have faced a combination of challenges — excess weight, high temperature, engine failure, and landing gear that didn’t retract. All these together can turn a bad day into a catastrophe,” Singh said.

Khalid echoed the need for clarity, stressing that investigators must establish whether the aircraft was overloaded, and if so, by how much. “We have the records, the number of passengers, the fuel load, the cargo weight. Was it five tonnes, 10 tonnes, or more? We don’t know that yet, but it will be key to understanding what went wrong,” he said.

- Expert points to electrical failure in AI 717 crash

Saxena explained that the activation of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during the Air India flight suggests an electrical failure onboard. “RAT operates only when the engine is not generating enough electrical power or when there is a hydraulic failure, which affects systems like landing gear retraction and flight controls,” Saxena said.

He added that high ground temperatures may have reduced engine efficiency, leading to low power output and triggering the RAT. “RAT can help lower the landing gear but doesn’t generate enough power to retract it. So once the gears are down, they stay down, increasing drag and requiring more thrust, which the aircraft was already struggling to generate.”

According to Khalid, the most credible cause is a catastrophic electrical failure that compromised the aircraft’s computer-controlled systems, specifically, the Electronic Engine Controls (EEC) and Fuel Control Units (FCU). These systems regulate engine performance. If they receive faulty signals due to electrical failure, they can shut down both engines mid-air.

Khalid cited a similar incident from 2019 involving a Boeing 787 in Osaka, where software logic led to both engines shutting down on landing roll. While that happened on the ground, he noted the possibility of a similar malfunction happening in-flight if a critical sensor or electrical unit failed.

He also pointed to visible signs: landing gear not retracting, RAT deployment, and lack of engine thrust — all indicating a total loss of electrical and hydraulic support, consistent with a dual engine failure triggered by system-level malfunction, not pilot error.

Air India Plane Crash: So what actually brought down AI 717?

Experts remain split. Aviation analyst Vipul Saxena attributes it to extreme surface heat in Ahmedabad, with temperatures nearing 45 degrees Celsius, which may have caused a loss of engine thrust due to reduced air density, triggering a chain of failures — electrical systems tripped, the RAT deployed, and the landing gear couldn’t retract, increasing drag. Saxena believes these conditions led to the aircraft’s fatal descent, without pointing to any pilot or mechanical error.

However, Captain Amit Singh remains cautious, suggesting overloading or misjudgment can’t be ruled out, while aviation expert Ehsan Khalid sees a possible electrical systems collapse that shut down both engines mid-air, similar to a 2019 incident in Osaka involving a Boeing 787. Some even recalled the 1991 Lauda Air disaster, where a midair thrust reverser deployment brought down a fully functional plane. For now, investigators are decoding the black box, and until that data speaks, the real cause remains grounded in speculation.