Air India pilots made fatal error after takeoff causing jet to plummet to ground killing 260, crash investigators claim
PILOT 'MISTAKE' Air India pilots made fatal error after takeoff causing jet to plummet to ground killing 260, crash investigators claim
THE first report into the cause of the Air India crash which killed 260 people has turned the focus onto the pilots.
Analysis of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Box indicates a possibility that the pilots may have made a human error while operating the flight bound for London.
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Officials inspect the remains of the Air India passenger plane at the crash site near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad
Credit: EPA
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A tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed is seen stuck on a building
Credit: Reuters
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Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot
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Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight
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The preliminary report indicates switches to the engines' fuel supplies were turned off seconds after take-off.
This could have triggered a loss of thrust, which resulted in the jet ploughing into a medical college, killing all but one of the 242 onboard and 19 on the ground.
It is almost impossible to turn the stitches off accidentally, but sources say the black box analysis has so far been unable to rule out 'improper, inadvertent or intentional' action that caused them to be moved from the 'RUN' position to 'CUTOFF'.
One potential sign that the switches were off was the deployment of the plane's emergency power system, a ram air turbine or RAT, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder had nearly 14,000 hours of flying experience between them.
Locals have hailed them as heroes for avoiding their densely populated housing estate next to Ahmedabad airport as the jet screamed towards the ground a month ago tomorrow - saving hundreds of lives.
According to the guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), investigators should release a preliminary report within a month of the accident.
The preliminary report into the crash has been filed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today.
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But there is currently no obligation for India's Civil Aviation Authority to make the report public.
Although given the nature and intensity of the crash, Indian authorities are expected to release the report to the public.
Lawyer and aviation expert James Healy-Pratt, representing 20 families from the 51 Brits who died, said: 'They have been outspoken about their need for answers.
"This preliminary report is an opportunity to provide much-needed understanding to the families about the chain of events that took their loved ones.
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"We all sincerely hope that they are not disappointed.'
Aerospace expert Dr Jason Knight, of the University of Portsmouth, said pilot error might be the cause:
"It's possible that one of the engines could have been in trouble from a technical issue and the pilot perhaps inadvertently shut down the wrong engine. That would mean both engines would have no thrust.'
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India.
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The plane was headed to London Gatwick with 232 passengers and 10 crew on board when it crashed just seconds after take-off.
The Dreamliner lost contact just seconds after take-off, according to flight tracking website Flightradar.
A final alert was last logged less than a minute after it started the journey from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe.
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Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air.
Moments later, it was seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast was seen in the distance.
Brit passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the sole survivor of the fatal crash.
He cheated death after being flung from seat 11A on the flaming Air India jet - escaping with minor injuries and filmed walking away after the wreck.
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Incredible footage showed him walking away from the wreckage almost unscathed.
Flanked by the locals, he can be seen making his way towards an ambulance with blood caking his face.
Speaking in Hindi, he says: "I just got out of the plane, it exploded."
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
All we know about horror Air India crash - engine fault to cockpit confusion
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A preliminary report into the investigation, published on July 12 in India, found that just seconds after take-off, fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving the engines of fuel and triggering total power loss. When and where did the crash happen? In a statement at the time, Air India said: "Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take off. "The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals. "The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident." The flight was airborne for less than 40 seconds. One of the pilots submitted a mayday call just before the plane crashed in a crowded neighbourhood. The plane plummeted into a building used as doctors' accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, causing an explosion. It was lunch break at the hostel when parts of the aircraft crashed through the roof of the dining hall. What has the report discovered so far? The report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that fuel to the engines of the plane were cut off moments after take off. In recovered cockpit voice recordings, the report said one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so". The Gatwick-bound plane was being piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar. The report does not specify which voice is which. 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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin in 2019 highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged, the report said. A final, more detailed report is expected in 12 months. Air India and Boeing's response An Air India spokesperson said the airline acknowledged receipt of the preliminary report. "We continue to fully co-operate with the 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 enquiries to the AAIB," the Air India spokesperson added. The airline has since announced a cut in international operations on its wide-body aircraft as it deals with disruptions in the aftermath of the crash. 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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
14 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India crew 'absolutely' cause of horror crash that killed 260, claims expert
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