'Selective...unverified': AAIB slams international media on Air India crash coverage
What's the story
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has slammed international media for publishing "selective and unverified" reports on the recent Air India crash. The AAIB called such reporting irresponsible and detrimental to the ongoing investigation's integrity. The agency emphasized that its investigation is still underway, with a final report to be released later detailing root causes and recommendations.
Report scrutiny
Pilot error speculation in preliminary report
"We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," it said. The AAIB statement came shortly after a report by the WSJ claimed audio from the cockpit voice recorder of the downed plane revealed the senior pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, had cut fuel to the engines.
Statement
Pilot body slams report
After the report, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) alleged that the WSJ report tried to point out the "pilot's mistake" over the movement of fuel control switches on the plane. "Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot's mistake....They said it was the pilot's mistake. They have not read the report properly, and we will take action against them," CS Randhawa, the FIP chief, slammed the report.
Error debate
Despite efforts to restart the engines, the plane crashed
The preliminary report by AAIB released last week said that the fuel switches were turned from "run" to "cutoff" just after takeoff. However, it didn't specify how this was done. Shortly after takeoff, a ram air turbine deployed, indicating an engine power loss. The plane then lost thrust and started descending at 650 feet altitude. Despite efforts to restart the engines, the plane was too low and slow to recover. It crashed into a building on a medical college campus.
Technical review
The crash killed 260 people
The crash killed 260 people. According to the WSJ, US pilots who read the AAIB investigation believe First Officer Clive Kunder would have had his hands full flying the plane when the fuel switches were turned off. That meant Captain Sabharwal, who was monitoring, was more likely to have moved the switches. After the captain moved the switches to the "cutoff" position, officer Kunder "expressed surprise and then panicked," while the captain seemed to remain calm," the WSJ report said.