What happened to cause a Boeing 787 to crash shortly after takeoff in India? Futura has ruled out some possibilities and points to a crucial factor that could explain the crash.

On June 12, 2025, at 1:38 PM local time, flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Air India with 242 passengers aboard, took off from Ahmedabad, India, bound for Gatwick in London. Just moments after takeoff, the plane crashed into a residential area. Several shocking videos shared on social media captured the disaster.

The B787 fell from about 122 meters above the ground, striking buildings nearly a kilometer away from the runway. The pilots barely had time to inform air traffic control that they had lost thrust before the plane crashed. Upon impact, the 50 tons of fuel on board ignited, causing the spectacular explosion seen in the videos. The crash killed several people on the ground, and only one passenger survived, according to Indian authorities. While the investigation continues, theories on the cause of the tragedy are emerging.

Futura has already suggested a few potential explanations, focusing on the pilots’ Mayday message: “Mayday, no thrust, not taking lift.” This indicates that both engines may have failed simultaneously, which, though unlikely, isn’t impossible. The loss of thrust could be caused by mechanical failure, contaminated fuel, or bird ingestion. However, a lack of runway length is not a factor, as the pilots used nearly 3,500 meters of runway for takeoff.

Available photos and videos show that the landing gear was not retracted. This is abnormal and may partly explain the crash of the B787. © DR

Was It Too Late?

Weather conditions played a role, with low wind but a high temperature of 37°C, making a long runway necessary. While high temperatures can affect lift, they don’t explain a loss of thrust in the engines. Another major factor is the landing gear.

Footage of the event shows that the landing gear wasn’t retracted during takeoff. At such an angle, the drag caused by the deployed landing gear could have hindered the plane’s ability to fly. According to a Boeing 787 pilot interviewed by Futura, the landing gear should have been retracted immediately after takeoff. The key question is why it wasn’t retracted. Was it an oversight or an error with the settings between the flaps and the landing gear? A quick fix is possible with the flaps, but not with the landing gear, which takes several seconds to retract. And at that altitude, those seconds were crucial. As for the flaps, they were not deployed visibly in the footage, but this is normal for takeoff.

A Reliable Aircraft

While the crashes of the B737 Max raised concerns about Boeing’s reliability, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has been in service since 2011, is known for its reliability. This crash is the first for this model. The aircraft is part of the fleets of 80 airlines, including Air France, which operates around ten of them.

The B787 from Air India, registered VT-ANB, was 11 years old and had been in service since February 2014. Just hours before the crash, it completed a domestic flight without issues. For now, the investigation is the only way to determine whether the crash was caused by a design, maintenance, or human error.