Ahmedabad plane crash: Panel formed to probe, report in three months

AHMEDABAD/ NEW DELHI: The death toll in the London-bound Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad rose to 274 on Saturday. Stepping up the efforts to examine the causes that may have led to the disaster, the Centre set up a high-level multi-disciplinary panel headed by the Union Home Secretary to examine the causes that led to the disaster. As investigators pore over wreckage at the BJ Medical College hostel and canteen complex for clues after the crash of the Air India flight 171, operated by Boeing 787-8 aircraft on Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said aviation regulator DGCA has ordered “extended surveillance” for the Tata-owned airline’s Boeing 787 series planes. Meanwhile, the pilots of the London-bound Air India flight which crashed 36 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad - sent one last radio message to Air Traffic Control at 1.39 pm, the Civil Aviation Ministry said Saturday. The Ministry said the pilots made the distress call after the plane failed to rise above 650 feet. But the ATC’s responses got no reply; the plane had crashed by then. “Mayday, Mayday...” were the final words of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his crew before the heavily-fuelled Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a college students’ hostel in a residential area near the airport, exploding into a fireball that killed all but one of the 242 people on board. Overall 274 deaths have been confirmed, including those on the ground, in India’s worst aviation disaster in nearly 15 years; that was in May 2010 when an Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at Mangaluru airport and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people on board. “The plane took off at 1.39 pm and, within a few seconds, after reaching a height of about 650 feet, it started sinking, i.e., it started losing height. The pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a ‘mayday’, i.e., a full emergency. When ATC tried to contact, it did not receive a response.” “After exactly a minute the plane crashed in Medhaninagar, which is two kilometres from the airport,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, in the wake of speculation about the readiness of the plane and possible mechanical, electronic, or technical issues, the Aviation Ministry said the same plane had completed the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad sector “without any accident”. As investigators looked into all possible causes for the crash, including loss of thrust in both engines of the 11-year-old aircraft, multiple bird strikes, or a potential flap issue, Naidu told reporters in Delhi that decoding of the Black box is going to give “in-depth insight” into what happened moments before the tragedy. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), commonly known as the Black box, was recovered from the “rooftop” of the hostel building at the crash site on Friday. There was no word yet on recovery of another Black box -- the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). This instrument records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises. Naidu said India has very strict aviation safety standards and robust protocols, and everything will be done to further improve safety. The central panel headed by the Union home secretary will also suggest comprehensive guidelines to prevent incidents like the Ahmedabad crash in the future. It will have its first meeting on Monday. The panel will publish its report in three months, a statement by the Civil Aviation ministry said. The panel will ascertain the root cause of the crash and assess the contributing factors, including mechanical failure, human error, weather conditions, regulatory compliances and other reasons, it said. The ministry said the committee will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations. The panel has the civil aviation secretary and the additional secretary in the home ministry as members, according to an order dated June 13.

Representatives from Gujarat home department, Gujarat disaster response authority, Ahmedabad police commissioner, Indian Air Force’s director general of inspection and safety, director generals of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are part of the committee. Other members include special director of the Intelligence Bureau and director of the Directorate of Forensic Science Services. The panel will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC (Air Traffic Control) log and witness testimonies. The committee will also collaborate with international agencies if foreign nationals or aircraft manufacturers are involved, Meanwhile, authorities of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital have so far identified eleven victims through DNA testing and started the process to hand over the bodies to their relatives, officials said. Earlier, eight victims, who were identified by their relatives and did not need DNA profiling as their bodies were not damaged, had been handed over to their families by the hospital, they said. Apart from central and state government agencies, a team of the National Security Guard (NSG) has also been deployed at the crash site. Air India also announced it will provide an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the deceased and survivors of the Ahmedabad plane crash. This interim payment is in addition to the Rs 1 crore compensation already announced by the parent company, Tata Sons, Air India said in a statement. “Air India stands in solidarity with the families of the passengers who tragically lost their lives in the recent accident,” the airline said. The carrier said its teams on the ground are doing everything possible to extend care and support during this incredibly difficult time.