Air India captain cut fuel seconds before crash, US experts say
Sumeet Sabharwal, the captain of the doomed Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was asked by his panicked co-pilot why he had moved the fuel-control switches to the 'cut-off' position, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
The captain was said to have remained calm during the exchange, which was captured by the cockpit's voice recorders, before the London-bound plane crashed into a hostel block in Ahmedabad about 30 seconds after take-off. All but one of the 230 passengers and all 12 crew members died. An additional 19 people were killed on the ground.
A preliminary report released last week by Indian investigators also concluded that the plane's fuel-control switches had been flipped almost simultaneously but did not identify the pilot responsible. Nor did it say whether the action was accidental or deliberate.
The report, by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), said one pilot had asked the other why he had moved the switches. The other denied having done so.
It is likely that the co-pilot, first officer Clive Kunder, 32, would have had his hands pulling back on the plane's controls at the point of take-off, said US pilots who had read the Indian authorities' report. Sabharwal, 56, would have been more likely to have had his hands free because he was the monitoring pilot.
The fuel control switches were turned off one second apart,then flicked back on ten seconds later, according to the preliminary report.
The switches, which toggle between 'run' and 'cut-off', are used for the engine start and stop in every flight. They are positioned on the console between the pilots and are impossible to manipulate accidentally because they are guarded and require deliberate actions to move.
• Who were the Air India pilots who flew the jet that crashed?
A press officer for India's Ministry of Civil Aviation and AAIB called the Journal's reporting one-sided and declined to comment further.
The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association said that the crew 'acted in line with their training and responsibilities under challenging conditions and the pilots shouldn't be vilified based on conjecture'.
'To casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession,' it said.
Campbell Wilson, the chief executive of Air India, told employees in an internal memo that the pilots had passed mandatory pre-flight breathalyser tests and health checks before the flight took off.
• Air India victim families bewildered by crash report
He has also confirmed there were no mechanical or maintenance faults in the jet. This was the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. However, the preliminary report released by Indian authorities did not rule out possible design flaws, malfunctions or maintenance issues.
Sabharwal was a pilot of decades' standing with 15,638 hours of flying experience, of which 8,596 hours were on a Boeing 787. He had promised to call his family when the flight arrived in London, the Times of India reported. Kunder had 3,403 hours of flying experience.
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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Air India finds ‘no issues' with fuel switches on other Boeings after crash
Air India has said it found 'no issues' with the fuel switches on its other Boeing planes after the fatal crash that killed 260 people last month, as a US report suggested investigators have turned their attention to the actions of the plane's captain. A preliminary report into the incident, released last week, found that the switches that controlled fuel going into the engines had been turned off 'one after another' just after the plane took off from Ahmedabad airport. It meant the engines were starved of fuel, causing them to shut down. Moments afterwards, the London-bound plane lost altitude and crashed, killing 241 people on board and 19 people on the ground. The preliminary report, by India's aviation authority, made no recommendations for action against Boeing, which manufactures the 787 Dreamliner. However, after the report's release, Air India ordered that the locking mechanisms of all fuel control switches – designed to prevent them from being accidentally turned off in-flight – on its Boeing planes be examined as a precautionary measure. On Thursday, an official from Air India confirmed that 'inspections have been completed and no issues were found'. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), an early assessment made by US officials has indicated that investigators are now focusing on the actions of the plane's captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran pilot, who it said is believed to have been the one who moved the fuel switches to cut-off. The black-box recording is reported to indicate that it was the plane's first officer, Clive Kunder, who was flying the aircraft during take-off and had questioned why the pilot had moved the fuel switches to cut off. Sabharwal had replied that he had not. The WSJ cited what it said were people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation as saying that Kunder, the first officer, had panicked, while the captain had remained calm. The sources cited by the WSJ did not state if the action was believed to be deliberate or accidental. It was reported that US officials believed that criminal investigators should also be involved to look into the incident. The WSJ did not name the sources it interviewed and Indian authorities have not attributed any fault in their preliminary investigation. India's preliminary report had summarised the exchange between the pilot and the first officer but had not attributed the quotes. A direct transcript of the recorded discussion has not yet been published by officials. The fuel switches were moved back on seconds after, and one of the engines re-started, but it was not enough to reverse the plane's deceleration. A 'mayday, mayday, mayday' message was transmitted to air traffic control before the plane hit the ground, just 32 seconds after it had left the runway. The Federation of Indian Pilots strongly criticised the WSJ report as 'baseless', accusing it of attempting to pin the blame on the pilot. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion After the release of the report last week, India's civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said that people should not 'jump to conclusions' after the report, citing the welfare and wellbeing of India's pilots. Two groups represented pilots also condemned the suggestion of a pilot error or action to be the cause of the crash as a 'reckless and unfounded insinuation'. A report in the Indian Express said that investigators were also examining previous technical glitches with the plane, to explore the possibility of an 'un-commanded transition' of the fuel control switches. Relatives of the 241 passengers who died on board the London Gatwick bound flight have expressed frustration at the preliminary report, which was accused of being 'vague and inexact'. In an email to staff after the report, Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson acknowledged the report had 'opened additional questions' but urged staff to 'avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over'.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India crash: Did captain 'deliberately cut off fuel' sparking co-pilot panic
According to the Wall Street Journal, sources close to the US side of the investigation have said the voice cockpit recording suggests Sabharwal turned off the switches, one after the other, exactly a second apart American investigators probing the Air India crash are examining the captain's conduct amid revelations that two fuel switches were manually shut off moments after takeoff. Black box recordings reveal Sumeet Sabharwal remained composed as his first officer, Clive Kunder, appeared to panic when the supply to both engines was suddenly cut. According to the Wall Street Journal, sources close to the US side of the investigation have said the voice cockpit recording suggests Sabharwal turned off the switches, one after the other, exactly a second apart. According to American pilots who reviewed the Indian report, Kunder was flying the plane at the time and likely concentrating on keeping the Dreamliner steady. As the monitoring pilot, Sabharwal would have been free to make manual adjustments, including to the critical fuel controls. According to the flight data, ten seconds after the levers were shut off, both switches were flipped back on. By then, the plane had lost thrust. It plummeted into the ground near Ahmedabad airport, erupting into flames and killing all but one of the 242 people on board. The harrowing details have triggered fresh scrutiny into the mental health of the pilots, particularly the captain. Mohan Ranganathan, a leading Indian aviation safety expert, revealed that 'several' Air India pilots had allegedly confirmed that the experienced pilot had suffered from poor mental health. The airmen claimed: 'He (Sabharwal ) had taken time off from flying in the last three to four years. He had taken medical leave for that.' Sabharwal, a senior Air India pilot, had also taken bereavement leave following the death of his mother, though Ranganathan said he was 'medically cleared' to return to duty before the doomed flight. A former colleague described Sabharwal as 'a thorough gentleman' and said he had been considering early retirement to care for his 90-year-old father. 'He was actually considering early retirement in the next couple of years,' they said. Air India declined to comment on Sabharwal's mental state. However, an official at parent company Tata Group insisted the captain had not taken any recent medical leave and that both pilots had passed Class I medicals, including evaluations of psycho-physical fitness, within the last two years. Kunder, just 28, had logged more than 3,400 flight hours. He was flying the jet at the time of the crash. On Sunday, a preliminary report released by the Indian authorities led to questions about why the pilot would have manually turned the switches off, and whether it was a deliberate act or a mistake. US officials reviewing the preliminary crash investigation told the Wall Street Journal a black box recording revealed a tense exchange in the cockpit. First Officer Kunder reportedly asked: 'Why did you cut off?' The captain then replied: 'I didn't.' Sabharwal stayed eerily calm as the aircraft plunged. Fuel levers are not simple push buttons. To operate them, pilots must lift each lever upward against a locking guard before flipping it. At takeoff, both were inexplicably turned off, triggering speculation that the act was either a calamitous error or something worse. Captain Ranganathan believes it was the latter. 'These selectors aren't sliding types. They are always in a slot,' he said. 'You have to pull them out or move them up or down, so the question of them moving inadvertently doesn't happen. It's a case of deliberate manual selection.' When asked whether one pilot may have shut off the fuel levers knowing the consequences, Ranganathan replied: 'Absolutely… It had to be deliberately done.' The possibility of a pilot-induced crash has enraged relatives of the victims, many of whom suspect a cover-up to protect the airline and authorities. Ameen Siddiqui, 28, whose brother-in-law Akeel Nanabawa died in the crash alongside his wife and four-year-old daughter, said: 'This report is wrong. We don't accept it. They want to blame dead pilots who can't defend themselves.' CCTV footage from the airport confirmed the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) - a backup power source - shortly after takeoff. Two minutes later, a pilot transmitted: 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.' In December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines that fuel switches in some Boeing aircraft had been installed with locking mechanisms disengaged, raising the risk of accidental shut-off. But Air India said it did not carry out inspections because the FAA advisory was not mandatory. Miraculously, one passenger survived. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in 11A by the exit, escaped with his life. His brother, Ajaykumar, 35, seated across the aisle in 11J, perished in the crash. The aircraft was en route from Ahmedabad to Gatwick. Among the dead were 11 children, including two newborns. An Air India spokesperson 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. We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators… We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.' The airline said it could not comment on specific details due to the ongoing investigation.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
India investigators say too early to draw conclusions on Air India crash cause
NEW DELHI, July 17 (Reuters) - India's aircraft accident investigation body said on Thursday it was too early to reach any "definite conclusions" on what led to the deadly Air India Boeing plane crash last month that killed 260 people. "We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) chief GVG Yugandhar said, adding that the investigation is still not complete. Earlier on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with U.S. officials' early assessment of evidence, reported that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the flight indicated that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines. Reuters could not independently verify the Wall Street Journal's report. The AAIB's preliminary report on the crash on Saturday said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and "the other pilot responded that he did not do so." It did not identify who made those remarks. The two pilots in the flight deck were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, according to the Journal report. The newspaper did not say if there was any evidence that Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited. But it quoted U.S. pilots who have read the Indian authorities' report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner's controls at that stage of the flight.
