Boeing responds to Ahmedabad crash, says it is gathering more information

Aviation consultant John M. Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, told “At this point, it's very, very, very early — we don’t know a whole lot,” he said. “But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands , so once we get that recorder, they'll be able to know pretty quickly what happened"

Washington: Boeing on Thursday said it is aware of initial reports about the crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad and is working to gather more information, even as its shares tumbled in pre-market trading.

The Dreamliner aircraft, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a residential area near Ahmedabad airport just five minutes after takeoff at 1:38 pm local time. The northwestern city has a population of over five million.

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According to the Aviation Safety Network, this marks the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft since the model’s introduction. In a brief statement, Boeing said, “We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information.”

Aviation consultant John M. Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, told the Associated Press from Los Angeles that early crash visuals suggest the aircraft had its nose up but was not climbing — a factor investigators are likely to examine.

“At this point, it’s very, very, very early — we don’t know a whole lot,” he said. “But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring — the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands — so once we get that recorder, they’ll be able to know pretty quickly what happened.”

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a widebody, twin-engine aircraft introduced in 2009. Over 1,000 units have been delivered globally, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.

The crash comes just days before the Paris Air Show — one of the world’s premier aviation expos — where Boeing and European rival Airbus are expected to showcase their latest aircraft and compete for major jet orders.

The incident is another setback for Boeing, which has been in recovery mode following the 737 Max crisis. In 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 — a Boeing 737 Max 8 — plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people onboard. Less than five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, also a 737 Max 8, crashed after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing 157.

Following news of the crash, Boeing Co shares fell as much as 9 per cent in pre-market U.S. trading. Air India said the aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 07  Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian, on its way to London Gatwick Airport.