The Race to Uncover the Truth Behind the Ahmedabad Air Disaster

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that took off from Ahmedabad met a tragic end in just 40 seconds. It's a grim task for investigators to figure out what went wrong in those brief moments. They'll be looking at the wreckage, the cockpit voice recorders, and the flight data recorders to piece together the puzzle. International rules say they should have a preliminary report out in 30 days, with a final report in a year. The plane, headed to London, had 242 people on board and was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar. The crash is a rare one, with experts calling it a "controlled flight into terrain. " It's not clear what caused it. Maybe both engines failed due to bird strikes or fuel issues. Maybe the flaps weren't set right. Maybe there was a maintenance error. Or maybe the crew made a mistake. Investigators will look at all these possibilities and more. They'll match up physical evidence with aircraft performance data to build a clear picture of what happened. The first clues might come from the engines. The way they're damaged can tell investigators if they were working at impact. If not, the focus will shift to the cockpit. The plane's recorders, known as "black boxes, " will be crucial. They capture flight data and cockpit audio, from pilot calls to background noise. If the data shows the engines were working fine, investigators will look at the flaps and slats. If they were set right, it gets even more complicated. It could point to a problem in the plane's flight management system, which is a big deal for Boeing and the whole aviation industry. With over 1, 100 of these planes flying worldwide, investigators need to figure out if this was a one-off failure or a bigger system issue. So far, there's no indication of fault. India's civil aviation ministry said recent checks on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet didn't find any major safety concerns. Boeing said they'll defer to India's investigation bureau for information. The decoding of the data will be led by Indian investigators, with help from Boeing, the engine maker, Air India, and other experts. The wreckage itself might hold more clues. Every part will be collected and examined. Depending on what the recorders reveal, a full reconstruction might not be needed. The importance of wreckage varies by accident. For example, in the case of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the wreckage was crucial in showing it was shot down.