An expert has presented a theory about what may have led to the disastrous Air India crash that killed 265 people last week. The incident, which became the worst aviation disaster in a decade, has left investigators searching for answers about what caused the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to plummet shortly after takeoff.

According to Daily Mail, commercial airline pilot and YouTuber Captain Steve believes that a simple but catastrophic error may have occurred in the cockpit of Air India flight AI171 when it departed from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The London-bound plane crashed in a residential area shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and at least 24 people on the ground. Only one passenger, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the tragic incident and has since been visited in hospital by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fatal confusion in the cockpit

Captain Steve's theory suggests that the co-pilot might have mistakenly raised the wing flaps instead of retracting the landing gear when instructed to do so. This seemingly simple error could have had devastating consequences for the aircraft's ability to maintain flight.

"Here's what I think happened, again folks this is just my opinion. I think the pilot flying said to the co-pilot said 'gear up' at the appropriate time," Captain Steve explained. "I think the co-pilot grabbed the flap handle and raised the flaps, instead of the gear. If that happened, this explains a lot of why this airplane stopped flying."

According to the aviation expert, prematurely raising the flaps would cause the plane to rapidly lose both airspeed and altitude - a dangerous situation during the critical takeoff phase. He pointed out that video evidence appears to show the aircraft's wings not exhibiting the normal bending that would be expected during takeoff, suggesting the flaps may have been retracted.

Experienced flight crew lost

The flight was being operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an experienced pilot with 8,200 flight hours. First Officer Clive Kunder, who was co-piloting the aircraft, had completed 1,100 flight hours and had trained at the Florida-based Paris Air Flight School.

Both crew members are believed to have died in the crash. The tragedy has highlighted questions about pilot training, aircraft systems design, and whether the controls for landing gear and flaps should be more distinctly different to prevent such potential confusion.

The relationship between pilot and co-pilot procedures during critical flight phases will likely be closely examined as investigators attempt to determine what led to the disaster. Communication protocols and cockpit resource management will be key areas of focus.

Sole survivor's testimony

The crash's only survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, has provided a harrowing account of the final moments before the aircraft went down. His survival has been described as miraculous given the devastating nature of the crash.

"I still can't believe how I survived," Ramesh told DD News from his hospital bed. He described feeling as though the plane was "stuck in the air" shortly after takeoff before lights began flickering green and white. "It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded," he recounted.

Ramesh added: "For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realized I was alive. I still can't believe how I survived." His testimony may provide valuable insights to investigators as they piece together the sequence of events.