Experts question AAIB report on fatal Air India crash
What's the story
Aviation experts are questioning the preliminary report of the Air India Flight AI 171 crash, which killed 241 people on board. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a 15-page report stating both engines failed due to fuel cutoff switches being moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF.' However, former Indian Air Force Director Sanjeev Kapoor called the conclusions incomplete and the timeline suspiciously delayed.
Pilot scrutiny
'Illogical for pilot to operate fuel cut-off switches...'
Kapoor also questioned the plausibility of the pilots' actions, saying it is illogical for a pilot to operate fuel cut-off switches immediately after takeoff. He slammed the time taken to produce preliminary findings, pointing out that cockpit data was downloaded nearly three weeks ago. "It took 20 days for this report to come out, which is far too long," he said.
Distress signals
One of the pilots made 3 distress calls before crash
The AAIB report revealed that one of the pilots made three distress calls before the crash. Cockpit voice recordings captured a conversation between pilots about cutting off fuel supply, leading to engine failure seconds after takeoff. Despite efforts to restart both engines, only one recovered. The aircraft crashed into a hostel near BJ Medical College after clipping trees near the airport boundary.
Mechanical concerns
Report did not specify why both fuel control switches...
Aviation experts have raised doubts about the AAIB report's conclusions, especially regarding possible mechanical failures in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The report did not specify why both fuel control switches moved to "cutoff" mode. Veteran aviator Captain Shakti Lumba suggested that the AAIB may have misread critical flight data and called for a more thorough investigation. Mark D Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting, called it "unthinkable" that pilots would manually cut off fuel during takeoff.
Safety concerns
ALPA raises concerns over investigation's transparency
The Airline Pilots's Association of India (ALPA-India) has raised concerns over the investigation's transparency and the exclusion of qualified flight crew from the probe. They highlighted a serviceability bulletin related to potential malfunctions in fuel control switch gates. Without answers to fundamental questions, they warned that both investigation integrity and ongoing operations safety remain in doubt. The investigation is ongoing with a final report expected within 12 months.
Crash
Ill-fated flight
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was headed from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12. The incident resulted in 260 fatalities, including all but one of the 242 passengers and crew members on board and 19 fatalities on the ground. The plane lost altitude and crashed before crossing the airport perimeter wall. Seconds after the engines attempted to relight, one pilot called out, "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY."