In the wake of the Air India Flight AI171 tragedy, aviation experts are uncovering alarming details that may change the course of the investigation.
Captain Steve Scheibner, a former U.S. Navy pilot and aviation analyst, examined high-resolution crash footage and noticed a small gray dot beneath the aircraft moments before impact. He identified it as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — a device that automatically deploys only when both engines fail or the aircraft loses all electrical power. Its presence, combined with a faint propeller-like sound on the audio, suggests a sudden and complete loss of engine power shortly after takeoff.
This detail raises critical questions, as dual engine failures in modern aircraft are extremely rare. Scheibner’s finding challenges earlier theories and points to a more abrupt, catastrophic cause.
Other experts have voiced equally troubling concerns:
- Former IAF Director Sanjeev Kapoor criticized the preliminary report for leaving out key facts, including the cockpit voice recording, which revealed both fuel control switches being turned off within just one second — a highly unusual occurrence.
- Aviation safety specialist Captain Mohan Ranganathan stressed that these switches on the Boeing 787 cannot move on their own and require deliberate human action.
- U.S. aviation professor Anthony Brickhouse told People magazine that the fuel cutoff appears to have been intentional, given that no mechanical faults were reported and the aircraft’s safety systems were functioning normally.
The combination of RAT deployment, sudden fuel cutoff, and the manual nature of the switches points to a deeply unsettling scenario — one that could indicate human interference rather than a random mechanical failure.
Investigations are ongoing, but this new evidence adds a disturbing dimension to an already tragic event.
