Sign in Subscribe
Aircraft accidents

Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner Forced to Land After Terrifying Engine Failure

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Air India flight 171 was on a 14-hour journey from Mumbai to London when its pilots reported hearing a "loud thud" on the left engine. The plane was forced to turn back, making an emergency landing after a mid-air engine failure. The incident occurred two years ago in August 2023, and an investigation found that the engine failure was caused by poor maintenance. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India reported that a turbine blade broke loose due to incorrect installation of locking lugs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing in 2023 after a mid-air engine failure.
  • The investigation found that the engine failure was caused by poor maintenance, specifically incorrect installation of locking lugs on the high-pressure compressor blade.
  • The DGCA reported that 879 job vacancies in key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, including the DGCA, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and Airports Authority of India (AAI), left the institutions with "fundamental concerns" about their capacity to enforce aviation safety standards effectively.
  • The AAI stated that the unfilled job vacancies were impacting operational efficiency and airport expansion.
  • The Indian parliament's transport committee urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to expedite the recruitment process to fill vacancies across DGCA, BCAS, and AAI to ensure that regulatory oversight, security enforcement, and airport operations are not compromised.
  • The DGCA issued an order to Air India to carry out more inspections of its aircraft, including the fuel monitoring systems, electronic engine control, hydraulics, and takeoff parameters.

Statistics:

  • 879 job vacancies in key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, including the DGCA, BCAS, and AAI, left the institutions with "fundamental concerns" about their capacity to enforce aviation safety standards effectively.
  • 53.4% vacancy rate in the DGCA, which is responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight.
  • 35% of jobs at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) were unfilled, posing risks to the robustness of security oversight at airports.
  • Air India was instructed to carry out power assurance checks on its 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft with General Electric engines.

Sources:

  • Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India
  • Indian parliament's transport committee
  • Airports Authority of India (AAI)
  • Ministry of Civil Aviation, India
  • Air India
  • General Electric
  • Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), India

Read more