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The attention regarding the Air India Flight 171 crash from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, has now turned towards the pilots, following the recovery of cockpit recordings from the black box that reveal the captain was responsible for turning off the fuel switches to the aircraft’s engine, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday (IST).
The report referenced sources familiar with the initial assessment of evidence by US officials involved in the crash investigation.
Air India crash resulted in over 260 fatalities.
On June 12, an Air India flight traveling from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, tragically crashed into a medical college located in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. This incident is regarded as one of the most devastating tragedies in the nation, resulting in the loss of more than 260 lives, including 241 out of 242 individuals on board and numerous casualties on the ground. The only survivor was Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian descent, who occupied seat 11A, next to the emergency exit. Ramesh was able to escape with injuries through the shattered emergency exit.
Preliminary report on the Air India crash released.
The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), published on July 12, indicated that the fuel switches for the aircraft’s engines were turned off within a second after takeoff. This action reportedly caused confusion in the cockpit prior to the aircraft colliding with a hostel for medical students. According to the Wall Street Journal, the first officer piloting the Boeing 787 Dreamliner questioned the more seasoned captain about why he had switched the fuel to the “cutoff” position after the plane had taken off from the runway.
While the first officer displayed surprise and panic, the more experienced captain maintained his composure. The AAIB’s preliminary report noted this exchange but did not specify which pilot made which statement. According to the AAIB’s initial findings, one pilot inquired about the switch movement, while the other denied having done so.
According to sources cited in the Wall Street Journal report, it was the captain who deactivated the switches; however, the AAIB’s investigation did not specify whether this action was intentional or accidental.
Air India reports no problems with the fuel control switch locks on the Boeing 787.
Following the release of a preliminary report by the AAIB, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) instructed all airlines operating Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft on July 14 to examine the locking mechanism of the fuel control switches and to report their findings by July 21.
On Wednesday, Air India notified the pilots that it had completed precautionary inspections of the fuel control switch locking system on all Boeing 787 aircraft, stating that no issues were detected and that the throttle control modules had already been replaced in accordance with Boeing’s maintenance schedule.
(Newsroom staff only edited this story for style from a syndicated feed)
