Air India Boeing 777 Faces Stall Warning After Takeoff

Photo: Wikipedia

Another Air India big plane had a scary moment just 38 hours after the deadly AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. This time, it was a Boeing 777 flying from Delhi to Vienna on June 14. After takeoff in the early morning, the pilots got a stall warning. They also received a “don’t sink” caution from the ground proximity warning system (GPWS). This warning told them not to lose height because the plane had suddenly lost around 900 feet while climbing.

Thankfully, the pilots managed to control the plane quickly, and it continued its journey safely to Vienna. The flight was AI 187. India’s aviation safety department, DGCA, is now looking into what went wrong. Both pilots have been stopped from flying until the investigation ends. DGCA has also called Air India’s head of safety for questioning.

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Reports said the Boeing 777, registered as VT-ALJ, took off at 2:56 am on June 14 in bad weather. Officials told that soon after takeoff, the plane’s stick shaker went off. This means the control stick started shaking with a loud sound to warn pilots of a possible stall. The GPWS “don’t sink” caution also came twice.

A stall warning means the plane may not have enough lift to keep flying. The pilots acted fast to recover the plane, and it landed safely in Vienna after a flight of 9 hours and 8 minutes. After reaching Vienna, the same aircraft later flew to Toronto with a different set of pilots.

Officials said that in the initial flight report, only the stick shaker due to turbulence was mentioned. But after checking the plane’s flight data recorder, they found the stall warning and “don’t sink” cautions were also there.

An Air India spokesperson said they informed DGCA as per rules. Once they received full data from the plane’s recorders, a detailed investigation began. The spokesperson confirmed that the pilots have been removed from flying duty until the probe ends. DGCA is very concerned about this June 14 incident. Just a few days earlier, DGCA had already told Air India to focus strongly on safety and fix all maintenance issues properly.