Air India crew 'absolutely' cause of horror crash that killed 260, claims expert
Fresh pieces of evidence about the tragic Air India crash that killed 241 passengers has led to an aviation expert claiming the crew were "absolutely" to blame for the air disaster.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the tragedy which suggested the fuel switches to the engine were reportedly cut off prior to the tragic air disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area just minutes after it took off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing another 19 people on the ground. Questions have been raised into the finding that fuel cutoff switches were supposedly flipped just as the plane was believed to have lost power.
One of India's key aviation experts, Captain Mohan Ranganthan, has since suggested this potential cause could have been deliberate. Ranganthan, speaking to NDTV, said: "It has to be done manually, it cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure."
These fuel switches reportedly have to be operated by pulling each lever upwards to unlock them before being flipped. These switches also have a protective guard bracket to protect them from accidental nudges or bumps.
Ranganthan added: "The fuel selectors they aren't the sliding type they are always in a slot. They are to pull them out or move them up or down, so the question of them moving inadvertently out of off position doesn't happen. It's a case of deliberate manual selection."
He then claimed "nothing else" could have caused that possible explanation, adding: "It had to be deliberately done." The captain continued his claims after being asked whether he thought one of the pilots could have "deliberately" turned the fuel switches off while being aware it could have led to a crash.
Ranganthan responded and said: "Absolutely." The captain then claimed they were looking at the possibility the disaster was a "pilot-induced crash".
This preliminary report also revealed the chilling conversation had in the cockpit just moments before the tragedy. Revealing a panicked exchange between the pilots as they realised the engines were off, the report said: "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.
"At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY". The ATCO enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response."
This report also confirmed there was no significant bird activity around the aircraft at the time and all crew members had been breathalysed on their arrival at Ahmedabad airport, and found they were "fit to operate the flight".
Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage and quarantined at a hangar in the nearby airport. Investigators have identified "components of interest for further examinations", the report says.
An Air India spokesman said: "Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time."
The spokesman added: "Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully co-operate with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such inquiries to the AAIB."
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The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Air India victims' families slam ‘cover-up' probe as questions remain over possible engine switch confusion
FAMILIES of the victims who tragically died in the Air India crash have slammed the preliminary report as a cover-up. Mystery has deepened over the actual cause of the crash after an initial investigation found the plane's fuel switches were cut off, which led to a catastrophic loss of thrust during the initial take-off. 12 12 12 12 Initial findings in the 15-page report released by the Indian Authorities indicate switches to the engines' fuel supplies were moved from the "RUN" position to "CUTOFF". "The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off," the report said. Analysis of the cockpit voice recording revealed that one of the pilots asked: 'Why did you cut off?" To which the other pilot replied: 'I didn't." Though the report does not identify which comments were made by the flight's captain and which were made by the first officer. However, families of some of the 260 victims have slammed the report, saying "they dont accept it." They have dubbed the report is "biased" and said it only appears to "blame the dead pilots". Ameen Siddiqui, the brother-in-law of Akeel Nanabawa, died alongside his wife and their four-year-old daughter, told The Telegraph: "It's a cover-up to protect Air India and the government. "They want to blame dead pilots who can't defend themselves. "How can the fuel switches end up turning off at a critical moment, either through pilot error or a mechanical fault?" Pilot of doomed India Air jet hailed a hero by locals who cheated death by a few feet "And if these pilots were so careless, why did the government allow them to fly at all? Air India until recently was owned by the government." Meanwhile, the cousin of sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, who were flying home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday, said he was "not satisfied" by the report. Ishan Baxi said: "We're still hoping for a more transparent and honest investigation that doesn't shy away from addressing possible mechanical flaws or lapses in protocol to avoid future potential accidents. "I just hope the final report brings full clarity on what exactly failed and who's accountable. It shouldn't hide behind vague terms." Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu told reporters that investigators probed in a "mature, transparent" way. "This is a preliminary report. We want the final report to come in, so let us wait for it," he said. Flipping the switches to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff. 12 12 12 But the inconclusive report, which came after 30 days of the crash, does not indicate that the flight encountered any such emergency situation. It is almost impossible to turn the switches off accidentally - they must be pulled up and locked before flipping - a safety design feature that was introduced decades ago. Protective guards are further installed to minimise the risks - raising further questions as to why the fuel switches in the Air India flight were turned off. Sources say the black box analysis has so far been unable to rule out 'improper, inadvertent or intentional' action that caused them to be flipped. Interestingly, the report points out that the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2018 issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) - highlighting that a few Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. But it was not deemed unsafe, and no Airworthiness Directive (AD) - a legally enforceable regulation to correct unsafe conditions in a product - was issued, The same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB Dreamliner in question. The report also found that pilots were able to restart one of the engines, but failed to stop the plane from decelerating. The fuel switches then returned to the "RUN" position and the engines appeared to be gathering power, but "one of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY'", the report said. Experts have said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches. "If they were moved because of a pilot, why?" asked U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse. No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane's flight path, the report added. Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder had more than 14,000 hours of flying experience between them - including some 9,000 hours on the 787. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India. The plane was headed to London Gatwick when it crashed just seconds after take-off, killing all but one passenger. 12 12 12
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India crew 'absolutely' cause of horror crash that killed 260, claims expert
An aviation expert has claimed the pilots of the doomed Air India Flight 171 could have 'absolutely' been behind the tragic crash that killed 260 people last month Fresh pieces of evidence about the tragic Air India crash that killed 241 passengers has led to an aviation expert claiming the crew were "absolutely" to blame for the air disaster. India's Aircraft Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the tragedy which suggested the fuel switches to the engine were reportedly cut off prior to the tragic air disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area just minutes after it took off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing another 19 people on the ground. Questions have been raised into the finding that fuel cutoff switches were supposedly flipped just as the plane was believed to have lost power. One of India's key aviation experts, Captain Mohan Ranganthan, has since suggested this potential cause could have been deliberate. Ranganthan, speaking to NDTV, said: "It has to be done manually, it cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure." These fuel switches reportedly have to be operated by pulling each lever upwards to unlock them before being flipped. These switches also have a protective guard bracket to protect them from accidental nudges or bumps. Ranganthan added: "The fuel selectors they aren't the sliding type they are always in a slot. They are to pull them out or move them up or down, so the question of them moving inadvertently out of off position doesn't happen. It's a case of deliberate manual selection." He then claimed "nothing else" could have caused that possible explanation, adding: "It had to be deliberately done." The captain continued his claims after being asked whether he thought one of the pilots could have "deliberately" turned the fuel switches off while being aware it could have led to a crash. Ranganthan responded and said: "Absolutely." The captain then claimed they were looking at the possibility the disaster was a "pilot-induced crash". This preliminary report also revealed the chilling conversation had in the cockpit just moments before the tragedy. Revealing a panicked exchange between the pilots as they realised the engines were off, the report said: "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so. "At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY". The ATCO enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response." This report also confirmed there was no significant bird activity around the aircraft at the time and all crew members had been breathalysed on their arrival at Ahmedabad airport, and found they were "fit to operate the flight". Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage and quarantined at a hangar in the nearby airport. Investigators have identified "components of interest for further examinations", the report says. An Air India spokesman said: "Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time." The spokesman added: "Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully co-operate with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such inquiries to the AAIB."
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Daily Record
Families of Air India victims demand justice after 'plane's fuel switches cut off'
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said the switches were cut off after take-off. Families of the victims of the Air India crash have demanded 'justice and answers', after a report found the plane's fuel switches were cut off. The preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, published yesterday Friday, July 11, said both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. 'In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,' the report states. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport one month ago, on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Another 19 people also died and 67 were seriously injured. In a statement, relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, described the report as 'the first stepping stone' and said the family are still 'working our way through the weight of our loss.' They added: 'Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth. 'We seek justice and answers, both of which are essential for us to find any sense of closure. 'We accept God's fate, but knowing what happened will help ease our hearts and allow us to begin the long journey of healing. 'Above all, we hope that by pursuing the truth, no other family will ever have to endure the shock, uncertainty, and profound sorrow that we have lived through this past month.' The cousin of sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, who were flying home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday and died in the crash, said he was 'not satisfied' by the report. Speaking to the PA news agency, Ishan Baxi, who lives in Ahmedabad, said: 'We're still hoping for a more transparent and honest investigation that doesn't shy away from addressing possible mechanical flaws or lapses in protocol to avoid future potential accidents.' He added: 'I just hope the final report brings full clarity on what exactly failed and who's accountable. 'It shouldn't hide behind vague terms. 'More than anything, it should push for real changes so this never happens again.' Fuel switches are used at the end of every flight and also in emergency scenarios such as a fire, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, Professor Graham Braithwaite said. They are designed so they cannot easily be 'accidentally' turned off and pilots would generally run through a checklist before they decided on doing so, he said. 'For obvious reasons, the two switches are a distance apart, so not a huge distance, but enough that you couldn't accidentally switch two when you're trying to switch one.' Prof Braithwaite said that if the switch had been moved by a person, that would have been a 'very unusual thing to do' at below 1,000 feet. The aircraft was about 11 years old, the fuel switches had been changed two years ago, and the crash was a 'really, really unusual event', he added. A lawyer advising some of the families affected by the crash said the findings were 'deeply concerning'. Demetrius Danas, an aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: 'We're continuing to speak with and advise families who've been affected by the Air India crash. 'Understandably, all they want is to be provided with answers.'
