There were hints of technical malfunction during takeoff of the Air India flight AI171, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which exploded on the campus of a medical college.
Going by visual evidence, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed with its landing gear extended and wing flaps fully retracted which is highly unusual in the critical initial climb phase.
Flaps for this aircraft should be set at five (or higher). As the speed of the aircraft goes up and it gains altitude, the flaps are retracted slowly.
The landing gear is normally retracted once a positive rate of climb is confirmed, usually within seconds of liftoff and well before reaching 600 feet.
However, in this case, the landing gear began retracting for a while but was then extended again. That the pilot sensed a loss of power shortly after takeoff can’t be ruled out.
There is a possibility of the landing gear becoming stuck in the south position, on account of a mechanical or hydraulic failure.
The crew might have attempted to retract the flaps early to reduce drag and gain speed since having both flaps and gear extended creates excessive drag and significantly limits climb performance.
However, retracting flaps too soon, especially at low altitude and low speed, is extremely risky, as it significantly reduces lift and increases the risk of a stall.
The aircraft’s flight path, however, did not display significant yawing or rolling, which indicates the pilots likely retained some level of control. There is also speculation about right rudder input, which could suggest a left engine failure, but that alone does not fully account for the irregular configuration of gear down and flaps up during this critical phase.
The combination of extended landing gear and retracted flaps at just 600 feet is highly irregular and may point to a cascading technical failure or a series of emergency actions taken by the crew in response to an unfolding malfunction. The ultimate loss of altitude and the apparent stall are likely consequences of insufficient lift combined with excessive drag, from which the crew could not recover before impact.
These anomalies will be a central focus for investigators as they examine flight data and cockpit recordings in the days ahead.
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