A Downburst Did Not Cause the 787 Crash in India

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There was a tragic crashed of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner earlier today and the Daily Mail says "wind shear cannot be ruled out." Yes, it can, if they define wind shear as a downburst -- which was the cause of more than a dozen airliner crashes from the late 60's through the 80's. Specifically, they wrote:

'There are a number of possible scenarios: thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor trim or flap configuration, or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft's ability to climb,' he said.

'Weather, windshear or even bird strike can't be ruled out either at this early stage.'

There is video of the crash here. There was no rain occurring -- which rules out a "wet" downburst. There were no altocumulus clouds or dissipating towering cumulus which rules out a dry downburst. While the contrast in the video is not ideal, it appears the sky is clear of clouds. 

There is no reason to believe that wind shear was the cause of this terrible crash. 

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