Air India crash: Boeing 787 battery issue back in spotlight, Black Box holds answer

Guwahati, June 14: Investigation of the black box will reveal the real cause of the worst-ever air disaster in India that took place on June 12, but every aircraft is checked thoroughly at the airport before it is allowed to fly and it is a mystery that the crash took place within minutes of take-off.

Aviation sector sources told The Assam Tribune that a routine maintenance protocol is followed before an aircraft takes off. Immediately after an aircraft lands in an airport and is about to leave for another destination, the aircraft is thoroughly checked by engineers certified by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is generally accepted as a safe plane and it is fuel efficient and light.

But in the past, it had some issues like overheating of the battery. It was grounded on several occasions in the past by some countries and the company took steps for quality control. But battery heating problem exists in extreme hot weather.

The sources said that one reason for Thursday’s condition may be that. The battery might have overheated as the weather in Ahmedabad was too hot. “But let us not jump the gun and wait for the investigation to complete,” the sources added.

The sources said that several issues like refuelling, cleaning of the cabin and toilets and checking by the aircraft maintenance engineer go on simultaneously and an aircraft can be readied to fly within 20-30 minutes. That is why no aircraft leaves an airport immediately after arrival.

The second part is to ensure that the load of the plane, including passengers and cargo, is distributed evenly. “Load distribution is crucial for maintaining the gravity of the aircraft. That is why you will find that even in a half-empty aircraft, the passengers are not seated at one place,” the sources added.

The sources said that the report of the aircraft maintenance engineer and load distribution sheets are presented before the pilot before takeoff and if he is fully satisfied, then only the plane takes off. If the captain has any doubt on the reports, he or she will never take off with that plane, the sources said.

The sources also pointed out that once a Pakistani plane crashed because the ground staff overloaded the plane without informing the pilot.

Replying to a question regarding a viral video, where a passenger who travelled on the flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad said that the air conditioners of the plane were not working, the sources said that if air conditioners do not work, it is impossible to keep the plane flying.

“Yes, it is a fact that sometimes planes face this problem when the engines are shut off on the ground and it is supplied with preconditioned air from the airport. But while in the air, it is impossible even for the pilots to keep flying without air conditioners for a long time.”

The sources also said that in cases of most accidents in India, the cause was pilot error. But no one yet knows what the real cause was in this particular accident.