Investigators are focusing on a possible thrust failure as the cause of the deadly crash of Air India flight AI171, which went down shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
Top aviation officials revealed that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had nearly exhausted the 3.5-kilometre runway before becoming airborne, raising serious concerns about whether the aircraft had enough engine power at the critical moment.
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“The longer runway roll hints at a possibility of the aircraft not having adequate thrust for take-off,” said a source close to the ongoing investigation.
No anomalies were reported before departure. “There were no requests for runway changes, thrust adjustments, or flap reconfigurations,” confirmed an airport operations source. Weather conditions were reported to be stable with clear visibility, and while temperatures were high, they remained within operational thresholds.
