VIDEO CLUE

Pilot Spots Key Detail in Air India Crash Footage That Could Explain What Went Wrong

Pilot Steve Schreiber says a small detail indicates the Boeing 787 may have gone down due to a dual engine failure.

A veteran aviator says he’s spotted a crucial detail in footage of the Air India crash that could offer a clue to what caused the disaster, which killed 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. Pilot Steve Schreiber believes the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may have suffered a dual engine failure after he noticed the plane’s Ram Access Turbine (RAT) deploying shortly after takeoff. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Schreiber points to the moment the RAT appears as a “little gray dot” under the fuselage—just as the aircraft begins drifting towards the ground. He explained that the purpose of the RAT “is to provide electrical and hydraulic pressure for the aircraft in an extreme emergency,” such as in the event of a “massive electrical failure, massive hydraulic failure, or a dual engine failure.” While any one of those scenarios could trigger the RAT, Schreiber—who has 26 years of experience as a pilot, according to the New York Post—said, “the fact that the airplane is mushing out of the sky gives the idea it was a dual engine failure.” The final words of the doomed plane’s captain—“Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift”—also appear to suggest a serious issue with engine power.