A devastating crash of Air India Flight 171 that killed 279 people, including 52 Britons among others, is now drawing intense scrutiny from international investigators and aviation experts, with new information pointing toward a rare and catastrophic dual engine flameout and the emergency deployment of a ram air turbine (RAT) — signalling major loss of on-board power. The new information has eclipsed an early focus on the unusual configuration of the aircraft’s wing flaps and landing gear, reports the UK newspaper "The Sunday Times".

Eyewitness Accounts, Video Clues Strengthen Theory

The detailed investigative reporting by "The Sunday Times", based on eyewitness accounts, technical clues from crash videos, and input from aviation analysts, reveals that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner — considered among the world’s safest aircraft — may have suffered “something very odd” either in the cockpit or to both engines within seconds of take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

What Pilot’s Call, Sole Survivor’s Account Point At

The UK daily also quotes Juan Browne, an American airlines Boeing pilot who runs a well-regarded aviation YouTube channel, as saying, “There was something terribly wrong with this 787 jet and we need to find out really quickly what went wrong because we’ve got a thousand of these operating today and operators need to find out what happened.”

The Times claims that aviation experts believe that a simultaneous failure of both engines is highly improbable.

The doomed flight, carrying 242 people bound for London Gatwick, was airborne for barely 30 seconds before a MayDay call was issued by the co-pilot: “Thrust not achieved. Falling.” The jet crashed just southwest of the airport, killing all on-board except one — Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British passenger seated in 11A.

From his hospital bed, Ramesh told the media persons: “I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out.” His brother, Ajay, also on the flight, did not survive.

RAT Deployment Points to Power Loss

According to The Times, experts analysing flight tracking data and mobile phone videos of the crash now believe the aircraft “may have suffered flameouts in both engines,” with signs that the ram air turbine — or RAT — deployed during the final moments. The RAT, a propeller-driven backup generator that automatically extends when a plane loses all engine power, is only deployed in dire emergencies.

The Times report says that a power loss would explain why the Boeing’s undercarriage remained extended after take-off because the (RAT) emergency turbine is not designed to provide power to retract it.

Steve Scheibner, an American Airlines Boeing 777 captain, told The Times that the new evidence showed the Indian Boeing had suffered a double power loss rather than a loss of lift caused by other factors, as first suspected.

“I’m solidly in the camp that there was dual engine failure. The RAT is deployed. You can hear it,” he said. Testimony from Vishwash Kumar Ramesh also indicated an electrical power failure. The cabin lights flickered and he heard a bang, he said. 

“We have no idea why both engines on a 787 would flame out right after take-off,” Scheibner told the Times.

One video analysed by The Times records a distinct sound after the plane crashes. Aviation consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes is quoted by The Times as saying, "You can clearly hear the RAT at the end — a characteristic whine that sounds a bit like a circular saw. It means the aircraft had no electrical power and needed emergency generation.” 

Also visible in the footage: the undercarriage never retracted, and the flaps appeared to be drawn in early, two anomalies that, experts suggest, point to either human distraction or wider systemic failure in-flight. Read on to know how they also rule out the former and zoom in on the latter, ahead.

Bird Strike Ruled Out, Fuel Blockage Unlikely

Investigations are now focusing on what could have caused a simultaneous failure of both engines — a rare event. One theory is a fuel blockage, another is bird strike, though experts and the report itself caution that the likelihood of both engines failing from birds is extremely low, especially given the smaller bird species common around Ahmedabad airport.

A preliminary probe into the crash has ruled out key causes. According to a news outlet citing India’s apex civil aviation authority – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s assessment, a bird strike is unlikely as no remains were found, and the aircraft wasn’t overloaded — several seats were vacant and load distribution was normal. Pilot error is also seen as an unlikely cause. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience under his belt and was on the verge of retirement. Clive Kunder, the co-pilot, had over 1,100 hours of flying experience to his credit as well.

According to The Times, an unnamed expert said: “A bird strike usually takes out one engine and you can fly perfectly well on one. Taking out two, like the Miracle on the Hudson, is extremely rare.”

Global Team Probing Black Box, Flight Data

Meanwhile, the DGCA has since announced inspections of all Boeing 787s in the country. Also, investigators from the US, UK, Portugal, Canada and Boeing have landed in India to examine black box data, flight control systems, and maintenance records.

The aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the tail section on Friday. Experts caution that it may take months before the sequence of failures can be fully understood.

India’s Deadliest Crash in Decades

This tragedy marks the deadliest aviation crash in India in decades and the first involving a Boeing Dreamliner, a model with over 1,100 aircraft in service globally. It also represents the largest loss of British civilian lives in an air crash since 9/11.

In the words of aviation expert Butterworth-Hayes, quoted again by The Times: “All plane crashes are mysterious because they shouldn’t happen. All aircraft have triple redundancies built in so there has to have been two or three sequential failures,” said Philip Butterworth-Hayes, an aviation consultant. “So I don’t think it’s a technical or mechanical issue. Something very odd happened, either in the cockpit or to the engines,” Butterworth-Hayes concluded. 

Flight 171 has now joined that mystery. But with evidence mounting around a total power loss, dual engine failure, and emergency turbine activation, it is clear that the answers investigators are chasing go beyond routine error. As The Times reports, the aviation world waits — stunned and searching.

Kirti Pandey is a senior independent journalist.