Air India plane crash investigation reveals an answer, yet presents additional mysteries
The preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has provided some insights into the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that took off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, bound for London Gatwick. The plane, carrying 261 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all on board and 19 people on the ground.
According to the report, the fuel supply to both engines was cut off just three seconds after takeoff. The fuel cutoff switches for both engines transitioned from 'run' to 'cutoff' position with a one-second gap between them. The design of these switches includes protective brackets to prevent accidental changes, suggesting that deliberate action or a technical malfunction might be involved.
The exact cause of how the switches were transitioned to the 'cutoff' position is not yet known. The investigation is ongoing to determine whether the action was intentional, accidental, or due to a technical fault. An audio recording from the cockpit voice recorder suggests that one pilot asked the other why the fuel switches were flipped, with the response that no one had done it intentionally. However, the report does not contain a full transcript of the conversation between the two pilots, making it difficult to understand what happened.
The 2018 FAA safety bulletin, which warned about potential issues with the locking mechanism of similar fuel control switches, has also been mentioned in the report. However, at this stage, it remains unclear whether such a technical issue was a factor in the Air India crash.
Air India has acknowledged receiving the report and said it will continue cooperating with authorities in the investigation. Geoffrey Dell, an air safety specialist, finds it hard to believe that both fuel switches could have been flipped accidentally. He stated that it would be unusual for a pilot to deliberately cut fuel to both engines immediately after takeoff. Ehsan Khalid, another expert, believes that the report's findings raise questions over the position of the vital engine fuel switches, which should be clarified by the investigators.
Khalid warned against pinning the blame on the pilots, stating that the report only conclusively says that the accident happened because both engines lost power. He emphasised that the investigation must continue to uncover the truth about what happened during the critical moments of the flight.
The full report is not due for months. India's Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu, advised against jumping to conclusions at this stage, urging the public to wait for the final report to be released. The investigations into the Air India crash are ongoing, and many questions remain unanswered. The tragedy has left the world in shock, and the aviation community is eagerly awaiting the final report to provide some closure and ensure that such a disaster never happens again.
- The preliminary report by India's Civil Aviation Ministry indicates that the Air India crash may have been caused by fuel supply cutoff to both engines just three seconds after takeoff.
- The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether the fuel cutoff was intentional, accidental, or due to a technical malfunction, with the report hinting at the possibility of a deliberate action.
- The 2018 FAA safety bulletin, which warns about potential issues with fuel control switches on similar aircraft, is mentioned in the Air India report, but it remains unclear if such an issue played a part in the crash.
- Air India has cooperated with authorities in the investigation and emphasized the need for clarity on the position of the engine fuel switches, with aviation experts urging caution and further investigation to uncover the truth about the crash.
