Aviation expert explains surge in crashes after Air India tragedy leaves 241 passengers dead

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AHMEDABAD, INDIA: A former commercial pilot has stepped forward to explain the growing concerns behind the alarming rise in aviation accidents.

This comes in the wake of the recent Air India tragedy, in which a flight bound for London Gatwick from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, crashed into a residential area near the airport on June 12, leaving 241 passengers out of 242 dead.

This devastating incident is not an isolated case; several deadly plane crashes have occurred already this year.

Ex-pilot lists factors behind alarming rise in aviation accidents

Aviation expert and former pilot Shawn Pruchnicki, now an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at Ohio State University, has spoken out about the troubling rise in airplane crashes in recent years.

Speaking to Daily Mail, Pruchnicki, who flew for Delta Connection for over a decade, identified several critical factors behind what he describes as a growing crisis in aviation safety.

The first issue he pointed to is the declining safety standards among aircraft manufacturers, who he claims have been passing planes with known defects. He referenced the tragic crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in October 2018 and March 2019, which together claimed 346 lives.

Those defective planes "led to the deaths of 346 people in two crashes in less than six months in October 2018 and March 2019," Pruchnicki said, adding that industry warnings had been raised "for years" without meaningful change. Unsafe practices, he said, are becoming increasingly visible in commercial aviation.

Before addressing the second factor, Pruchnicki noted that he wasn’t surprised by the recent collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter over Washington, DC, an incident he had long feared might happen.

"If planes come within a couple of miles of each other, we start to worry," he explained. "Any distance noted in feet counts as within a hair’s breadth of disaster!"

Shawn Pruchnicki cites growing shortage of air traffic controllers amid aviation tragedy

Recalling a close call from his flying days, Shawn Pruchnicki shared a moment at JFK Airport when his aircraft was cleared to cross a runway. "We had a gut feeling that this [oncoming] pilot, who possibly wasn’t familiar with the airport, couldn’t do what he said, and so we decided not to cross and to stay where we were. If we’d crossed the runway as directed, there would have been a collision."

The third major concern he raised is the growing shortage of air traffic controllers. Pruchnicki expressed empathy for those in the tower, calling them "overworked and overstressed," while bearing the immense responsibility of managing lives in the sky.

A final factor he cited is the increasing trend of promoting under-experienced pilots too quickly, a shift he warns could have dangerous consequences.

Pruchnicki stressed the need for urgent reforms: "We need more qualified candidates in the pipeline for air traffic controllers. When the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommends changes in the wake of their incident investigations, they must be implemented."

He also emphasized the need for increased funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to support these improvements and help prevent future tragedies.

Air India flight crashes one minute after takeoff

Tragedy struck shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, when Air India Flight AI171, en route to London Gatwick from Ahmedabad in western India, crashed just a minute into its journey. According to reports, the pilots issued a Mayday call at an altitude of just 625 feet, having lost communication shortly after the aircraft left the runway.

Moments later, the plane plunged into the undergraduate hostel of BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar, an area that houses several medical professionals.

Authorities have confirmed that 50 medical students survived the crash and are in stable condition, though four to five remain unaccounted for, and two to three are currently being treated in critical condition in the hospital's HDU and ICU units.

The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) further reported that three to four family members of resident doctors are also missing. The wife of a senior 'super specialist' doctor has been confirmed among the deceased.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft was carrying 242 passengers, including 53 British nationals. Initial statements from officials suggested there were no survivors. However, this was later revised to confirm that one person had survived the devastating impact.