India, June 17 -- Footage of Air India Flight AI171's final moments appears to show a highly irregular configuration during its climb-out from Ahmedabad: landing gear extended, while the flaps were already retracted. According to aviation attorney Jim Brauchle of US-based law firm Motley Rice, such a setup is "highly unusual," and will likely form a key part of the investigation.

"Upon takeoff, the gear is retracted first followed by the flaps," Brauchle told The Sunday Guardian. "This configuration could be an error by the crew, a mechanical failure, or a bad indicator. Investigators will have to examine all the evidence and try to determine why the aircraft was in this configuration during the flight," he said.

While the crash of AI17...