Ahmedabad Plane Crash: ‘It’s A Pilot’s Nightmare’ Gaurav Taneja Weighs in On Shocking Possibility Behind Mid-Air Failure

India is still coming to terms with the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, and former pilot-turned-YouTuber Gaurav Taneja has weighed in with insights that have sparked serious discussion in the aviation world. Known to his fans as Flying Beast, Taneja shared a detailed take on what might have gone wrong right after the plane lifted off.

Gaurav Taneja On Possible Cause Of Ahmedabad Plane Crash

In a conversation with Times Now, Taneja explained that aircraft systems are usually well-equipped to flag serious issues before take-off. He said, “Actually, if you’re taking off, the aircraft will show you a message if there is any severe error in the flight or in the system. And it will ask you to reject the take-off...”

In short, if there was a major system problem, the pilots would have likely aborted the flight on the runway. Since the aircraft did manage to lift off, it suggests there was no immediate fault flagged.

But something clearly went wrong right after take-off. One small yet telling clue, according to Taneja, is that the landing gear was never retracted. That’s a big red flag in aviation. Normally, once an aircraft climbs and gains a “positive rate,” the pilots retract the landing gear. But here, the gears stayed down.

Taneja suspects that this might be because the pilots were dealing with an emergency immediately after take-off. They likely didn’t have the time or headspace to follow the usual climb routine. He said, “The pilots were distracted; they were trying to solve that problem. There was no time... and the aircraft was sinking, about 400 feet per minute.” 

Things get scarier when you consider that this happened over an urban area. Taneja painted a chilling picture of what pilots face in such moments. He said, “If it were a desert or a stretch of plain farmland, I could still try to land... But when there are buildings and highways, what do I do? I have no training for that.”

He went on to call it “a pilot’s nightmare” -  the rare and horrifying situation of dual engine failure after take-off, with nowhere to land and no time to respond.

He also ruled out other likely causes, like a stall or compressor stall. “In a compressor stall, you don’t lose total power... And even if one engine fails, aircraft are certified to fly safely with just one,” he said, pointing toward a more complex or unusual cause.

Captain Steve Changes His Theory Now

Veteran aviation analyst Captain Steve Scheibner has now shifted his theory after watching a clearer version of the crash video. Earlier, he suspected flap mishandling. But now, he strongly believes dual engine failure is the most likely cause.

Scheibner based his updated view on three things: the deployment of the ram air turbine (RAT), a high-pitched RAT sound in the audio, and a survivor’s account of a loud bang and flickering lights before impact. According to him, all signs point toward total engine power loss.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, he also listed other possible causes like a bird strike, fuel contamination, and flap error, but ruled most of them out. He said the engines seemed fine during the takeoff roll, and there was no visual proof of a bird hit.

Scheibner concluded the aircraft lost lift around 300 feet. He said, “That airplane lost lift at about 300 feet, and lost so much that it couldn’t remain airborne. He added that it likely came down to either a sudden power drop or a flap configuration issue.

For the unversed, Air India Boeing 787 crashed soon after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, 2025. Out of 242 people on board, 241 died. At least 38 people on the ground, near a medical college hostel, also lost their lives.