A bird hit may have prevented the Air India flight, which crashed near Ahmedabad airport, from achieving the optimum speed for take-off, which led to the crash, experts have told NDTV.Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick airport, London crashed around 1.30 pm on Thursday, shortly after taking off. There were 242 people on board – 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots. Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, former senior pilot, said, “It looks, prima facie, like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost its power. The take-off was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case of engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift. Obviously, the investigation will reveal the exact reason.”
Experts Suspect Bird Strike Prevented Plane From Reaching Optimal Takeoff Speed
