Officials familiar with the investigation of June 12 crash of Air India flight AI-171 said the tail assembly—or empennage—showed signs of a “contained electric fire,” affecting only a few components in the rear section. The tail detached from the fuselage and remained largely untouched by the explosion and fuel-fed blaze that engulfed the main body of the aircraft.
Those components have now been secured at a storage site in Ahmedabad. “They hold the key for a detailed analysis of a possible malfunction in the electric supply of the aircraft during lift off,” one official told The 온라인카지노 Express.
Black Boxes Under Scrutiny
The aft Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), or rear black box, was recovered from the roof of the BJ Medical College hostel mess on June 13 but had suffered severe thermal damage, according to officials. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report dated July 12 confirmed the internal memory was so damaged that “data could not be downloaded through conventional means.” Upon opening, the memory card was found to be “extensively” damaged.
In contrast, the forward EAFR, retrieved on June 16 from charred debris, was “burnt and covered in soot” but functional enough to extract data. This black box held “approximately 49 hours of flight data and 6 flights, including the event flight,” and two hours of cockpit audio, including the crash sequence.
Both black boxes are encased in high-durability, anti-corrosive material, but only the forward recorder operates on an independent battery, allowing it to keep recording even if main power is lost. The rear recorder is dependent on the aircraft’s electrical system.
Officials noted that the tail absorbed the expected crash force on impact with the hostel building, but not to an extent that would normally destroy the black box beyond recovery. “It needs to be probed if the electric fire in the tail was due to a fault that originated in one of the flight components when it began rolling for take-off, or was it purely a fire following the impact… The fire was contained in the tail section, which, despite being embedded in Building A (hostel mess), did not spread to the structure or its electrical framework,” The 온라인카지노 Express quoted an official.
Investigating the Tail Components
In addition to the damaged rear black box, investigators are examining the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), rudders, and transducers—all located in the aircraft’s tail. The APU was retrieved intact, as noted in the preliminary report. This is significant because the previous flight, AI-423 from Delhi to Ahmedabad, had flagged an issue in the logbook: “STAB POS XDCR” (Stabilizer Position Transducer), a component located in the tail. It was addressed by an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer prior to AI-171’s clearance for takeoff at 12:15 p.m.
“Any malfunction of the electrical system that originated before the flight became airborne could have led to disruption of interconnected flight sensors and, in a cascading effect, triggered incorrect data to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) of the flight to cut off fuel supply… The APU also made an auto logic start after fuel supply transitioned back to ‘Run’ from ‘Cut-off’, which indicates it had been on during the take-off to have more thrust during take-off on a hot day in Ahmedabad…,” the official told The 온라인카지노 Express .
The location of critical systems in the tail section makes this investigation even more crucial. “When the aircraft is on the ground, APU batteries start the APU generators. The APU generator powers the two generators on each of the two engines to start the engines. Once in flight, APU’s two generators are secondary power for the flight or used for in-cabin power,” the official added.
In 2013, Boeing’s 787 fleet had been briefly grounded following incidents of APU battery malfunctions. The aircraft in question had returned to service that same year, after the FAA cleared a redesign. “The component is among the significant parts being examined now. This aircraft was pressed into service the same year after the FAA approved the new design,” said the official.
Testimony from the sole survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, also supports the electrical malfunction theory. He recalled seeing “flickering cabin lights,” suggesting that the systems may have been switching between main and backup power sources during the critical moments after takeoff.
Examining FADEC and Fuel Cutoff
In The 온라인카지노 Express's report on July 17, investigators analysed potential technical faults in the systems feeding the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control)—the unit that governs engine operations. “Both engines of the flight were starved of fuel within seconds of being airborne and quickly began to decelerate… The electrical signal of transition to fuel cut-off mode, recorded in the flight data, is at the centre of the probe, which is why FADEC actions are crucial. By design, FADEC reacts to cascading malfunction in data input by triggering fuel cut off to protect engines in compromised system conditions,” an official explained to The 온라인카지노 Express .
Rear Cabin Fatality Linked to Tail Fire
The discovery of a flight attendant’s body in the rear fuselage, 72 hours after the crash, has also raised questions. Found in the crew rest area within the hostel building, her death appeared different from those of passengers who were severely burned in the post-crash fire. “It was not caused by the explosion and fire like the other passengers whose bodies were charred beyond recognition. She did have some burns, which were from the fire from the aircraft’s electrical system that was brought under control when the fire-tenders arrived. But she was identified through her clothes…,” the official said.
A Gujarat government official involved in the post-crash operations confirmed that the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, with post-mortem burns. “The flight attendant in the rear of the plane likely died due to impact injuries. She would have been seated in the brace position and was partially affected by the fire in that section. Her body was highly decomposed due to lapse of time and the extinguishing agents used to put out the fire after the crash. Fragments of her uniform saree, made of a synthetic blend, were visible for identification.”
