First crash of Boeing’s 787 model comes weeks after $1.1bn 737 Max payout
The Air India tragedy in Ahmedabad is the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has crashed since the plane’s introduction in 2011,While airlines using the Boeing plane have had widespread problems with engines on the 787 – resulting in many having to ground planes and reduce flights – the 787’s safety record in service has so far been good,However, the US safety regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has had to investigate several concerns over the years, including a mid-air dive on a Latam flight last year,A whistleblower last year also urged Boeing to ground all 787 Dreamliners worldwide, in Washington hearings,Boeing rejected the claims by the former engineer and said it was fully confident in the plane.
There are more than 1,100 787s in service, with most major international airlines using them.The model has been prized for its far better fuel efficiency and lower noise than the types it replaced.The two major crashes that were due to faults on Boeing planes were using the then new 737 Max model, in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019.That model was taken out of service for almost a year, before being relaunched and returned to widespread use.Last month, Boeing agreed to pay $1.
1bn (£812m) in a deal with the US Department of Justice to avoid prosecution over the two crashes that together killed 346 people – a deal that lawyers for some of the victims’ families called “morally repugnant”.India’s aviation safety history has been chequered, but as the airline industry has boomed and passenger flying has become more and more common, its safety record has improved.The last Air India crash, in August 2020, involved a smaller Boeing 737-800 Air India Express that was landing at Calicut airport in bad weather when it skidded off the runway.Sign up to Headlines USGet the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotionAir India operates 34 Dreamliners, with 20 more on order, and has been using the US-built long-haul model since 2012.Tata Group bought the airline from the Indian government in 2022, and announced plans last year to revamp and upgrade its fleet, including refurbishing its 787s.
Problems holding up Boeing deliveries have meant that Air India, like other airlines, has continued to operate older planes for longer than planned.The Indian-led crash investigation will include experts from the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch, because of the number of British victims, the US National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing.A Boeing spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Air India regarding flight 171 and stand ready to support them.Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”Investigators will hope to swiftly locate and analyse the black box data recorders, including the cockpit voice recorder.
Despite its human toll, the Ahmedabad crash was relatively low-impact,CCTV footage shows the plane starting to descend just seconds after leaving the runway,According to flight-tracking information on Flight Radar, the plane had reached a maximum height of just 190 metres (625ft),Plane crashes are statistically most likely to happen during landing or takeoff, but experts said there appeared to be no obvious explanation for the crash,Weather conditions were benign.
Images show the plane’s nose in the air, indicating the pilots were trying to keep it aloft, although the landing gear was apparently lowered.David Gleave, a former accident investigator, told the BBC: “It’s a very unusual accident … it’s a very unusual situation, so soon after takeoff, and it is a very safe aeroplane.”John McDermid, a professor at the University of York, said: “Pilots can abort takeoff until quite late.So it seems like the problem occurred very suddenly … and was sufficiently serious to be unmanageable.”Passenger aircraft are designed to be able to fly on one engine.
Jason Knight, a senior lecturer in fluid mechanics at the University of Portsmouth, said: “The most likely cause of a double engine failure is a bird strike.”
Reeves braced for OBR forecasts to blow £20bn hole in tax and spending plans
Rachel Reeves is braced for revised forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to blow a £20bn hole in her tax and spending plans before the autumn budget.Even without changing the totals the chancellor set out in her spending review on Wednesday, a weaker forecast from the the Treasury’s independent watchdog could force her to find significantly more money at the budget to meet her “non-negotiable” fiscal rules.Reeves has said repeatedly that flexing her fiscal rules – designed to provide certainty over UK public finances – is not an option even if the economic outlook deteriorates.At her spring statement, she left herself on course to meet those rules with less than £10bn of headroom to spare, on a total budget for day-to-day spending of more than £1.3tn
Vodafone terminates contracts of 12 franchisees who joined £120m lawsuit
Vodafone has terminated the contracts of 12 franchisees who have continued running the brand’s high street stores while also being part of a £120m high court claim against the telecoms group.The legal case was launched in December, when 62 franchisees claimed Vodafone had “unjustly enriched” itself at the expense of scores of vulnerable small business owners by slashing commissions to franchisees operating the mobile phone company’s retail outlets.A dozen of the claimants had remained in the franchise programme even though they had joined 50 former colleagues in pursuing the legal case. Some of the 62 said they had had suicidal thoughts because of the pressure exerted by the telecoms group – while many claimed the company’s actions made them fear they would lose their livelihoods, homes or life savings after running up personal debts of more than £100,000.Vodafone, which says the legal claim is worth £85
Workers in UK need to embrace AI or risk being left behind, minister says
Workers in the UK should turn their trepidation over AI into “exhilaration” by giving it a try or they risk being left behind by those who have, the technology secretary has said.Peter Kyle called on employees and businesses to “act now” on getting to grips with the tech, with the generational gap in usage needing only two and a half hours of training to bridge.Breakthroughs such as the emergence of ChatGPT have sparked an investment boom in the technology, but also led to forecasts that a host of jobs in sectors ranging from law to financial services will be affected.However, Kyle said: “I think most people are approaching this with trepidation. Once they start [using AI], it turns to exhilaration, because it is a lot more straightforward than people realise, and it is far more rewarding than people expect
Tell us: what questions do you have about the impacts of smartphones on children?
A quarter of three- and four-year-olds in the UK now own a smartphone, but the impact of that is still being understood. From endless scrolling to constant notifications, smartphones expose children not just to their friends and classmates, but to a world of advertising, influencers, and algorithms. But how is all of this shaping how children see themselves, relate to others, and develop emotionally?In a video series on our It’s Complicated Youtube channel, we’re speaking to experts to explore how smartphones might be affecting children’s mental health, attention, self-esteem and relationships. Are social apps making kids more anxious? What happens when children are targeted by ads that shape their sense of identity from a young age? What do we know, and what don’t we yet understand, about growing up in a world where you’re always online?We want to hear from you. What have you always wondered about children and smartphones? Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or just someone curious about the long-term effects, fill out the form below to share your questions
Hitchins dismantles Kambosos inside eight to retain 140lb title at Garden
Richardson Hitchins delivered a career-best performance on Saturday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, stopping George Kambosos Jr with a withering body shot in the eighth round to retain the IBF’s version of the light welterweight championship.In his first defense of the 140lb belt, and his first time headlining a card in his hometown, Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) controlled every round before putting Kambosos down with a sharp left hook to the midsection. The Australian rose to his feet before the count of 10, but referee Michael Griffin waved off the fight as Kambosos visibly grimaced in pain, unable to continue.“I’ve been telling the boxing world I was coming and they should have listened,” Hitchins said afterwards. “I told his dad, if you love your son, you’ll stop the fight
Tyrrell Hatton cool but Matt Fitzpatrick rages as Sam Burns keeps US Open lead
If a quiz question was to ask which English golfer a) lacerated the setup at the US Open, as another b) fired himself into contention before offering a much calmer assessment, the answers from the vast majority of observers would be obvious: a) Tyrrell Hatton, b) Matt Fitzpatrick. The reality at Oakmont was the complete opposite.First to Fitzpatrick. The 2022 champion finds himself unimpressed by this golfing brute, as he was happy to declare after a third round of 72 left him nine over par. “I personally don’t think it’s fair,” said the Yorkshireman
Letting banks loose is back on the agenda as UK politicians chase growth at any cost
Grilled cheese shop offers Minnesotans a second chance after prison
There hasn’t been a ‘big chancellor’ since Osborne: IFS chief gives final mark
‘Grenfell was caused by corporate greed’: report calls for far stronger penalties over unsafe cladding
M&S ‘praying for sun’ but full recovery from cyber-attack unlikely this summer
Oil and gold prices soar and stock markets fall after Israel’s attacks on Iran