The crash of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad on Thursday has left a deep scar on the psyche of the Indian people. It is not as though there are not tragedies of even greater magnitude taking place on a regular basis in such a large and heavily populated country, it is the way it took place – suddenly and with very little chance of survival for the passengers. It happened in broad daylight and was captured on cameras for the entire nation and the world to see. For everyone, it was like witnessing one’s own relatives go down in flames.
Then there was the touch of fate, a passenger walking out almost unscathed from the debris, while entirely unassociated people on the ground also perished – medical students in their hostel and a teenager working a tea stall! One passenger was saved because she missed the flight! It makes one wonder what forces were at work here.
It is only natural that there is an outpouring of collective grief and a desire to know exactly why it happened. Experts have already made their opinions known but the reality will become known only when a thorough scientific inquiry is conducted by the agencies concerned. Although this was the first such incident with the type of aircraft involved – the Boeing 787-8 – there was mention of certain alleged shortcomings in its manufacture. If these had anything to do with the crash, they would become known and appropriate action taken. It was obvious to the experts that whatever occurred happened so swiftly that the pilots had no time to take corrective action. It could even be because certain systems failed, denying them control over the aircraft.
It is a fact that modern aircraft are becoming ever more ‘autonomous’ in their functioning. Much of the time they fly by themselves. Unfortunately, this can lead systems to shut down, or bypass the pilots’ control, if they malfunction. At higher altitudes, remedial measures can be taken, but just four hundred metres above the ground gives almost no time for such action. That could have happened in Ahmedabad. Or, as is the consensus among some, it could have been a ‘double-engine’ failure due possibly to a bird-strike.
In the old days, aircraft design was simpler, and pilots were entirely in control. Severely damaged planes were landed safely through the pilots’ skills. Now, technology rules. If this is the direction that modern aircraft are taking, it would help if the option, mooted for quite some time now, is taken to have detachable passenger sections that can parachute down in emergencies. The technology exists but is probably not being introduced because such ejections might become too frequent at the first sign of trouble. That could prove much too expensive for the airline companies.
