What could have caused the Air India plane crash where only one passenger survived

Following the devastating Air India plane crash yesterday that killed 241 out of 242 of those on board, officials are still making enquiries into the possible causes of the deadly collision.

The aircraft - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - was scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad in Western India at 09:50 UK time yesterday (12 Jun), before arriving into Gatwick Airport in London at 18:25.

Seconds after takeoff, however, and air traffic control officers received 'the last signal' from those on board. Minutes later, the plane collided with a doctors' hostel.

Authorities in India revealed in the hours that followed that 241 of the 242 people of board have died, with only one single passenger - a man sat in seat 11A, since identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh - having made it out of the collision alive.

One passenger survived the crash (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The incident marks the first time a such a plane has suffered a fatal crash since it entered commercial service in 2011.

According to a BBC report, the pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, and his co-pilot, Clive Kundar, were both experienced fliers, with over 9,000 combined flying hours between them.

The engine itself was loaded with over 100 tonnes of fuel - more than enough to have escorted the aircraft to the UK.

So, what could have caused the flight to go so wrong, so fast?

Altitude struggles

Seconds after takeoff, a mayday call was made by the cockpit, though the reason for said call isn't yet known. By this point, the aircraft had only reached a height of 624ft, before it plummeted into the residential area.

The incident's sole survivor Ramesh - who only sustained 'impact injuries' on his chest, eyes and feet - later told the Hindustan Times that he'd heard a 'loud noise' around 30 seconds after takeoff, claiming the plane was struggling to gain any real altitude.

The only survivor of the flight said the aircraft failed to gain any altitude (Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Double engine failure

Within the last few hours, the aircraft's black box - which records the flight's data - has been obtained by authorities for investigation.

Until said investigation is carried out, however, experts can only refer to footage of the plane crash recorded by witnesses, where the plane looks to battle getting off the ground.

This lack of thrust may have been caused by faults in both of the aircraft's engines.

Though this is an extremely rare occurrence, it has left to concerns the plane may have had its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed - a back-up turbine that activates when main engines fail to generate power.

The most famous example of such an instance is the Hudson plane crash of 2009, when a collision with a flock of birds caused both engines to power out, after which the pilot, Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, was thankfully able to land the plane on New York City's famous river.

In the case in India, however, one pilot told the BBC that a double power outage could have been caused by fuel contamination. Being that such colossal jets rely on a precise fuel metering system, any blockages in the system could result in fuel starvation and total engine shutdown.

The same pilot, however, Marco Chan, went on to admit that there isn't enough evidence in the footage of the crash to verify that double engine failure could have been the cause.

241 of 242 people on board have died (Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bird strike

As in the Hudson plane crash case, another possible explanation is that the Air India aircraft may have collided with a flock of birds, causing the engines to lose power. Unlike the US incident, however, if this was the case, Captain Sabharwal wouldn't have been able to find a safe place to land so close to the airport.

A similarly tragic event unfolded last year, when the engines of a Jeju Air plane leaving South Korea lost power after sucking in a bird, with the resulting crash killing 179 people.

According to a group of pilots familiar with Ahmedabad airport, the area is 'notorious for birds', with 462 bird strike incidents having occurred over five years. A senior pilot added, however, that a bird hit is rarely catastrophic 'unless it affects both engines'.

Double engine failure is an extremely rare possibility (Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Plane flaps

According to the BBC, a number of experts have suggested that the aircraft's flaps - which are located just below the wings - were not extended during takeoff. Though, it's worth noting that many others have challenged this.

The plane's flaps are essential in assisting with it generating maximum lift at lower speeds, and being without them, a heavy flight will struggle to lift off the ground.

In the soaring temperatures of Western India, the considerably thinner air would have made it even more essential for the flaps to have been extended during takeoff.