Ahmedabad Crash: Retired Pilot Alok Singh Cites Possible Dual Engine Thrust Loss After Video Analysis

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi, June 13 — As investigators continue to probe the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight AI-171, retired pilot Captain Alok Singh has offered an early technical assessment, suggesting that loss of thrust in both engines may have played a critical role in the tragedy that claimed 241 lives.

Speaking to reporters while referencing footage of the incident and his experience with flight simulators, Captain Singh said,

“Right now, we can only speculate about the reasons behind it. I have seen the video many times, and I believe there was a loss of thrust in both engines. There could be several reasons for that—one being technical, meaning there might have been some failure in the aircraft's systems, or fuel starvation, which caused the engines to stop working.”

He explained that without engine thrust, an aircraft quickly loses lift, particularly during the critical phase of takeoff, where airspeed and climb rate are essential. “As a result, the aircraft stopped producing lift and eventually crashed,” he noted.

Captain Singh emphasized that the exact cause will only be known once flight data and cockpit voice recorders are analyzed. However, he pointed out that such dual engine failures are extremely rare in modern aviation, especially on an aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

His observations align with initial comments made by other aviation experts, including former Air India officials and safety analysts, who have also ruled out pilot inexperience as a likely cause—citing the commander’s 8,200 hours of flying experience.