Power system failure and software issues may have caused Ahmedabad plane crash: Aviation Expert Jacob K. Philip

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aviation expert and journalist Jacob K. Philip said that a failure in the electrical system and software issues might have caused the plane crash in Ahmedabad. He explained this in a detailed Facebook post.

The pilot's communication mentioned a lack of thrust and insufficient lift. Even if the engines were idle or only one engine was operating, the term “no thrust” implies a power issue. The mention of “no lift” points to problems with the flap systems. An imbalance in the distribution of passengers and cargo may have further increased the difficulty in lifting the aircraft. If the electrical system fails, the engines could also shut down.

The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system, which activates during emergency conditions, had automatically turned on. This indicates that all electrical systems had failed. If the electrical systems that receive power from the engines fail, and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) – a small generator that should start functioning in such situations – also fails to operate, or if the battery unit becomes inactive, only under these circumstances will the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) begin to function automatically.

Unlike in many other aircraft, in Dreamliner aircraft, the RAT cannot be manually switched on by pilots; it activates automatically only in emergencies. The automatic activation of the RAT in this incident suggests two possible scenarios, Jacob pointed out:

• Both engines failed, along with the generators.
• The engines were running, but both Integrated Drive Generators (IDGs) failed. Additionally, the APU did not start.

He further stated that there needs to be an investigation into how both the APU and the battery systems became inactive.