What caused Air India crash? Experts focus on plane’s flaps, landing gear
Experts suspect take-off misconfiguration or the flaps being raised instead of the landing gear could have led to the deadly accident
The aviation ministry said investigators and rescue workers had recovered the digital flight data recorder – one of the two black boxes on the plane – from the rooftop of the building on which the jet crashed.
There was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which is also crucial to the crash probe.
On Friday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down within moments.
The probe is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including on maintenance issues, the source said.
The Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of a 3,352-metre (11,000-foot) runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co.