Air India crash: Indian, US investigators to meet in Washington
What's the story
Indian investigators are set to meet their US counterparts next week as part of the ongoing probe into the June crash of an Air India flight. The meeting will be held at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) headquarters in Washington DC. The Indian team, led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), intends to share their findings with NTSB and other parties involved in the investigation, including Boeing.
Data sharing
Investigators to share findings from cockpit voice, flight data recorders
The Indian investigators are expected to present their findings, including information obtained from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The crash claimed the lives of all 241 passengers and crew members on board. However, no official comments have been made by NTSB or AAIB regarding this upcoming meeting.
Crash details
Preliminary report indicates fuel-control switches were turned off
The preliminary report of the investigation revealed that the aircraft's fuel-control switches were turned off shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. This caused the engines to lose power, leading to the crash. Although the action was reversed about 10 seconds later, it was too late to prevent the tragedy. The cockpit voice recorder also captured a conversation between co-pilot and captain regarding this critical switch operation during takeoff.
Ongoing investigation
Investigators are still compiling information
The investigation into the Air India crash is still ongoing, with no final conclusions drawn as of yet. However, some details have emerged from the cockpit voice recorder. The younger co-pilot, who was flying the plane at takeoff, asked the more experienced captain why he turned off the critical switches. The captain denied doing so. More details are expected to be revealed when AAIB releases its final report on this incident.