On Sunday evening, 13th July 2014, the Air India’s flight AI-144, a B-777, was ready for a routine flight from Newark to Mumbai with 300 passengers and 15 Crew. The weather in New Jersey was heavy passing showers here and there. It was a routine departure at about 5 p.m. (local time) for a long 15-16 hrs flight to Bombay nee Mumbai.
The aircraft naturally was at its maximum takeoff weight, as it was fully loaded with the fuel required for this long transcontinental flight. The take off run was a normal routine one. Immediately on lift off the worst nightmare of a pilot, the loss of an engine at maximum take-off weight, happened. The left engine caught fire, and at the same time the cockpit engine fire warnings did not function. The passengers and crew sitting on the left side were horrified to see flames from the left engine. Other airplanes and Air Traffic Control warned the Pilot of the engine being on fire.
The Pilots till....
