Fuel to Air India plane was cut off moments before crash, investigation report says
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Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Air India crash: Pilot groups push back against human error narrative
NEW DELHI: Associations of Indian pilots are rejecting claims that last month's Air India plane crash that killed 260 people was due to human error, after a preliminary investigation sparked speculation implicating the flight crew. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in the western Indian state of Gujarat on June 12. A report released over the weekend by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said that seconds after take-off, both of the plane's fuel-control switches moved to the position stopping fuel from the engines. It did not specify who turned off the switches, only citing the cockpit voice recording, in which 'one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off,' while 'the other pilot responded that he did not do so.' The Indian Commercial Pilots Association and the Airline Pilots' Association of India have issued statements after the release of the initial findings — and the first media and online reactions to it — rejecting speculative narratives and presumptions over the guilt of the pilots. Capt. Kishore Chinta, an ALPA member and accident investigator, told Arab News that both associations have 'raised red flags on the selective release of information' by the AAIB, which has 'left the scope of ambiguity for people to jump to conclusions' and for the media to spin narratives. 'We are left defending those pilots who are not there to defend themselves,' he said. 'The Western media has been painting them as if they actually committed suicide-murder.' The London-bound flight was carrying 242 people — 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 crew members. Only one person, sitting in an emergency exit seat, survived the crash. Another 18 people were killed on the ground as the aircraft fell on a B. J. Medical College and hostel for students and resident doctors of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Investigators at the crash site recovered both components of the black box — the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, days after the crash. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said at the time that the final report was expected within three months. The early release of preliminary findings has shaken the Indian aviation community, for which it was unacceptable that experienced pilots who have flown thousands of hours would have turned off the fuel supply. 'Definitely a malfunction caused the disaster — poor maintenance or a hardware/software glitch,' said Sandeep Jain, an Indian aviator based in the US. 'Dead pilots are always the easiest target. They don't bite back. No litigation, no shareholder value erosion.' The Federation of Indian Pilots is planning to raise the consequences of the preliminary report with the government. 'We will be taking it up with the government no doubt. We will not let it go quietly. The report should not be open-ended,' Capt. C.S. Randhawa, the federation's president, told Arab News. 'It is inconclusive. So many things are not answered properly. The report does not say that the pilots have moved the fuel control switches, that is why it is inconclusive, and it is leading to speculations.'
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
India marks inclusion of 12 Maratha forts on UNESCO World Heritage List
NEW DELHI: India's Maratha Military Landscapes — a network of 12 strategic forts — have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming the country's 44th site to receive the designation. The forts were used by the rulers of the Maratha Empire, who held power across parts of central, western and southern India between the late 17th century and the early 19th century. Marathas rose to prominence after the decline of the Mughal Empire, following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the last powerful Mughal ruler, who alone had controlled much of India for nearly 50 years. The proposal to include the Maratha forts on the UNESCO list was submitted by India to the World Heritage Committee in January 2024. The inscription, which took place during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris on Friday, marked 'a significant milestone in the global acknowledgment of India's rich and diverse cultural heritage,' the Ministry of Culture said in a statement. The Maratha Military Landscapes of India were nominated under the criteria in recognition of 'their exceptional testimony to a living cultural tradition, their architectural and technological significance, and their deep associations with historic events and traditions.' The fortification network covers 11 forts in the state of Maharashtra — Salher, Shivneri, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg — and one, Gingee Fort, in Tamil Nadu. With the newest addition, India now ranks sixth globally and second in the Asia-Pacific region for the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. 'The fact that UNESCO selected 12 forts from the Maratha dynasty as World Heritage Sites is a matter of great pride for the history of the Marathas, Maharashtra and India,' Prof. Santosh Mahadevrao Ghuge, who heads the Department of History at the Fergusson College in Pune, one of the main cities of Maharashtra, told Arab News. 'The war strategy of the Marathas has unique significance in Indian and world history, and forts have an important place in this war strategy. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maratha military prowess and the use of forts in warfare enabled the Marathas to defeat the powerful Mughals.'
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Fuel cut-off switches activated moments before Air India crash that killed 260, says probe
NEW DELHI — A preliminary report released Saturday by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has revealed that the engine fuel control switches aboard the Air India flight that crashed last month in Gujarat were moved to the 'cut-off' position just seconds before the aircraft plunged into a hostel, killing 260 people. The UK-bound flight slammed into a medical college hostel in western Gujarat shortly after takeoff, with only one passenger surviving after reportedly leaping from the aircraft. The tragedy claimed the lives of 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. According to the AAIB, the aircraft reached a maximum recorded airspeed of 180 knots before both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cut-off switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF within a second of each other, leading to an immediate loss of power. The report stated that cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking the other, 'Why did you cut off?' to which the second pilot replied that he had not done so. The incident suggests possible uncommanded or accidental engagement of the switches, although investigators have not drawn final conclusions. Following the switch-off, Engine 1's deceleration was briefly reversed and began recovering, while Engine 2 attempted to relight but failed to stabilize. Fuel was reintroduced multiple times to restart the engine, but the recovery proved unsuccessful. The Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) stopped recording shortly afterward. The AAIB emphasized that the probe remains ongoing and that additional evidence, data, and documents are still being collected from relevant parties. Air India, in a statement, said it is cooperating fully with investigators and is working closely with regulators and other stakeholders as the inquiry continues. This incident marks one of the deadliest air disasters in recent Indian aviation history and has raised serious concerns about potential mechanical or procedural failures in the moments before the crash. — Agencies
