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Captain Suli’s Hudson River from the Hudson River to the tragic Dana air accident in Nigeria, from landing, there are five incidents where the planes lost the mid-flight in both engines, and what happened after that.
The tail of the airplane gets trapped in a building at an airplane site in Ahmedabad. (PTI)
The afternoon of June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI171, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner London Gatvik, crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport. Wide-bodies jet, carrying 242 people, almost immediately lost height and slammed a medical college hostel in Meghani Nagar area of the city. A police officer told the news agency PTI that 265 bodies were brought to the hospital.
While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not yet officially determined the reason for this, the initial radar and flight figures show that the aircraft never climbs more than 625 feet. A crisis call – “Mayde, Mayde” – was recorded second before the accident. Sources say that a call is sent by the pilot on a day of May 1 when both engines of the aircraft have failed.
The initial report indicates the potential loss of emphasis in both engines, increasing the possibility of a rare and frightening double engine failure. If confirmed, the Ahmedabad accident will become one of the most deadly events in the recent history, and the first fatal accident that includes Boeing 787.
What happens when both engines fail?
Commercial airlines are designed to fly safely with excesses, even if an engine is closed. But if both engines fail, pilots are forced to glide the aircraft – often with limited time, height and options. These conditions not only test the machines, but also test the decision, composition and training of the pilots under extreme pressure.
Over the years, a handful of high-profile cases have highlighted how such incidents can be unexpected.
Taca Flight 110: Hellstorm Force a Unpowered Landing (1988)
On May 24, 1988, TACA Flight 110, a Boeing 737–300 N route from Belize to New Orleans, faced a serious thunderstorm during its offspring. As the aircraft flew through heavy rains and hail, both the CFM56 engines exited due to water and hailstorm, resulting in full loss of emphasis.
Captain Carlos Dardano and the first officer Donocio Lopez managed to glide the powerless aircraft and safely landed on a grass levy near NASA Michaud Assembly feature in the east of New Orleans. The landing was so smooth that there was no injury and the aircraft was repaired and eventually returned to service.
The phenomenon inspired changes in engine certification standards for weather resistance and remains one of some examples, where a dual engine failure was managed without life loss during a storm.
SAS Flight 751: Snow in engine, survival in an area (1991)
Another miraculous existence occurred on 27 December 1991, when McDonal Douglas MD -81, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flew from Flight 751, Stockholm. Unknown for the crew, clear ice was formed on the wings overnight. As the aircraft climbed, the snowflake was separated and entered both engines, causing severe damage and several compressor stalls.
Only 76 seconds in the flight, both engines lost electricity. The crew tried to return to the airport but felt that they would not make it. He crashed the aircraft at an icy ground near Gottrora in Sweden.
While the aircraft broke into three pieces, all 129 passengers and crew survived. Investigators praised the crew’s status awareness and communication, although the incident made global changes in de-hires and engine design.
Air Transit Flight 236: 120 Noetical Mile on No Engine (2001)
On August 24, 2001, Air Transit Flight 236, an Airbus A330 flew from Toronto to Lisbon, experienced fuel starvation on the Atlantic Ocean due to a broken fuel line. The leak dried fuel from both engines, which shut down one after the other.
Flying in the dark, without any thrust and no radio communication, Captain Robert Picke and the first officer Durk de Jagar managed to glide the aircraft for about 20 minutes, covered more than 120 nautical miles, safely before landing on the lazes air base in azores.
All 306 people survived the ship, although 18 continuous injuries occurred during high-speed landing. The Canadian Transport Safety Board praised the crew’s performance, but cited maintenance inspection as a root cause. This phenomenon is one of the longest engine-out glides in aviation history.
The Miracle on the Hudson: Defiting Moment of Captain Suli (2009)
On January 15, 2009, one of the most notable aviation existence stories, when US Airways Flight 1549 lost both engines after two minutes of flying from Lagardia Airport in New York. Airbus A320, route to Charlotte, hit a herd of Canada’s geese at an altitude of about 2,800 feet. Both CFM56 engines failed simultaneously.
Captain Czech “Suli” Sulenberger and the first officer Jeffrey Skiles rapidly assessed the situation. With no viable airports in the gliding range, Suli took a bold decision to dig the aircraft in the horrific water of the Hudson River. In just four minutes, the flight went from 1549 takeoff to water landing.
Miraculously, all 155 people survived the ship. The incident became a case of a textbook in pilot training and emergency preparations. The NTSB investigation confirmed that the engines had swallowed many birds and faced a complete loss, completing mechanical failure. Sulp of Suli under pressure turned her into a national hero and gave the world the most famous example of a successful double engine-out landing.
Dana Air Flight 0992: When there is no time to react (2012)
The tragedy occurred on June 3, 2012, when McDonal Douglas MD -83, Dana Air Flight 0992, faced a dual engine failure a few minutes before landing in Lagos, Nigeria. Investigators later determined that both engines were working with severe maintenance issues, including fuel fuel manifold and oil seals.
The pilot failed to declare an emergency when the first engine lost electricity. By the time the second engine stopped, the aircraft was very low to recover. It crashed into a densely populated area, killing at least six people on all 153 ships and on the ground.
The Nigerian accident investigation bureau found gross negligence in the aircraft maintenance and pilot response. This phenomenon stands as a serious reminder that the failure of the dual engine can be fatal within seconds, especially at low height.
Why dual engine failures are so rare and so dangerous
Thanks to rigorous engine design standards, real -time monitoring systems and global maintenance rules, modern jet engines are incredibly reliable. According to aviation safety data, the possibilities of both engines that fail on a twin-engine aircraft in the same flight are astronally low, approximately one in several billion flight hours.
But when this happens, factors such as failure, pilot training, aircraft gliding abilities and availability of emergency landing options, all determine whether the event becomes a tragedy or miracle.
In cases such as Ahmedabad accident, which occurred within seconds of takeoff, there is almost no height buffer, which is almost impossible recovery or gliding. The difference between Suli’s successful Hudson River Ditching and Air India 171’s disastrous accident can just be the height that failed.
Ahmedabad investigation will be focused on investigation
While the formal conclusions are pending, aviation officials are expected to check several important aspects of the accident, including:
- Black box data to determine engine thrust level, flap settings and pilot input
- Maintenance records for general electric engine that gives power to Boeing 787
- Pilot Communication Log, especially May and Materials of May
- Any signs of foreign object ingestion, such as a bird strike or runway debris
A rare but disastrous failure
Commercial pilots are trained extensively to handle single-engine failures, and modern aircraft are designed with many security systems. However, a complete loss of emphasis from both engines, especially during the first few minutes, leaves very little space for recovery. The investigators investigating the Ahmedabad accident will now focus on whether such a failure has occurred – and if yes, what is the reason for this and whether it could have been stopped.
Karishma Jain, the Chief Deputy Editor at News18.com, write and edit opinions on various topics including Indian politics and policy, culture and art, technology and social change. Follow it @kar …Read more
Karishma Jain, the Chief Deputy Editor at News18.com, write and edit the opinion on various topics including Indian politics and policy, culture and art, technology and social change. Follow it @kar … Read more
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