Air India Flight 171 Crash: Gaurav Taneja Offers Insights on Possible Causes

Gaurav Taneja, a former AirAsia captain and commercial pilot with over a decade of experience, has shared his thoughts on the Air India Flight 171 crash that occurred on June 12. In a recent YouTube video, Taneja presented data from FlightRadar, an app that tracks air traffic in real-time, which suggests that the flight took significantly longer to take off than usual. He also pointed out that the plane may have taken off from an unpaved surface, citing the presence of dust lifting from the runway. Taneja also mentioned a possible connection to overloading, referencing a 1993 crash in Aurangabad that occurred due to excessive cargo weight. He also referred to a similar incident involving a flight from Tel Aviv.

Key Takeaways:

Gaurav Taneja, a former AirAsia captain, presented data from FlightRadar suggesting that Air India Flight 171 took significantly longer to take off than usual.
The flight took a long distance on the runway before taking off, and the plane was seen lifting dust from the runway, indicating an unpaved surface.
Taneja mentioned a possible connection to overloading, referencing the 1993 crash in Aurangabad and a similar incident involving a flight from Tel Aviv.
He also dismissed the theory blaming pilot error, stating that it's easy to blame pilots when they are not available to defend themselves.
Taneja suggested that big companies like Boeing and Air India may prefer to blame pilots to avoid taking responsibility and making claims for insurance.

Statistics:

The Air India Flight 171 took significantly longer to take off than usual, according to data from FlightRadar.
The plane took a long distance of 1,300 feet (396 meters) on the runway before taking off, compared to the usual 612 feet (187 meters) for a similar aircraft.

Sources:

Gaurav Taneja's YouTube video, shared on June 15, 2025
FlightRadar, an app that tracks air traffic in real-time