
US officials blame Air India captain for crash
The first officer was at the controls of the Boeing 787 and asked the captain why he moved the fuel switches into a position that starved the engines of fuel and requested that he restore the fuel flow, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the matter remains under investigation.
The US assessment is not contained in a formal document, said the source, who emphasised the cause of the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, the capital of western Indian state of Gujarat that killed 260 people, remains under investigation.
There was no cockpit video recording definitively showing which pilot flipped the switches, but the weight of evidence from the conversation points to the captain, according to the early assessment. Indian officials said investigation was ongoing and it remained too early to draw definitive conclusions.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the investigation into the crash, said in a statement on Thursday that "certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting."
The Wall Street Journal first reported similar information on Wednesday about the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade. After that the Federation of Indian Pilots sent a legal notice to Reuters about a July 17 story published by the news agency which referenced the WSJ article.
A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday said that one of the two pilots in the cockpit was heard on the voice recorder, asking the other why he cut off the fuel and "the other pilot responded that he did not do so."
The AAIB investigators did not identify which remarks were made by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and which by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Six crushed to death In India temple stampede
Listen to article At least six people were crushed to death at a popular Hindu temple in northern India's Uttarakhand state on Sunday, officials said, after a massive crowd surge. The stampede occurred on the stairway leading to the Mansa Devi temple in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges river, and left many injured. "Six dead and more than 10 injured are admitted to the hospital," senior city police official Parmendra Dobhal told AFP. प्रदेश सरकार मनसा देवी मंदिर मार्ग पर हुए हृदय विदारक हादसे के घायलों और मृतकों के परिजनों के साथ खड़ी है। हादसे की मजिस्ट्रियल जांच के निर्देश दे दिए गए हैं। — Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) July 27, 2025 Uttarkhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said relief and rescue operations were underway. "I am constantly in touch with the local administration regarding this matter and continuous monitoring of the situation is being done," he said in a statement. Also Read: Drone debris disrupts trains, suspends flights in Volgograd Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence at Indian religious festivals. In June, a sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in the coastal state of Odisha triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others. The previous month six people were crushed to death in the western state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual. And in January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.


Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Six crushed to death in India temple stampede
HARIDWAR: At least six people were crushed to death at a popular Hindu temple in northern India's Uttarakhand state on Sunday, officials said, after a massive crowd surge. The stampede occurred on the stairway leading to the Mansa Devi temple in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges river, and left many injured. 'Six dead and more than 10 injured are admitted to the hospital,' senior city police official Parmendra Dobhal told AFP. Uttarkhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said relief and rescue operations were underway. 'I am constantly in touch with the local administration regarding this matter and continuous monitoring of the situation is being done,' he said in a statement. Three killed, 6 injured in stampede at Indian chariot festival Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence at Indian religious festivals. In June, a sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in the coastal state of Odisha triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others. The previous month six people were crushed to death in the western state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual. And in January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.


Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Six killed in stampede at temple in India's Haridwar, ANI reports
At least six people were killed in a stampede after a large crowd gathered at the Mansa Devi temple in the northern Indian city of Haridwar, ANI reported, citing Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey. Three killed, 6 injured in stampede at Indian chariot festival Reuters could not immediately verify the report.