Damning evidence in Air India investigation
Air India flight 'AI 171' was bound for Gatwick in London and had taken off from Ahmadabad airport on June 12th, but crashed seconds after takeoff, in the worst aviation disaster India has ever seen.
The preliminary report, due to be published later today, shows the fuel switch to the engines was flipped to 'OFF' seconds after takeoff. The Air India flight AI171 that crashed in Ahmedabad. Pic: EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock
This switch is only ever used when an aircraft has come to a complete stop and arrived at its gate, or in the case of a bird strike where an engine would need to be switched off mid flight.
The preliminary report found that the fuel switch in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was flipped to 'OFF' some three seconds into the flight, immediately STARVING the engines of fuel.
The enormous aircraft instantly lost power, began to lose height and literally fell from the sky killing all but one person on board, as well as a number of people on the ground in Ahmadabad medical college. Firefighters work at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad. Pic: Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images
The black box flight recordings have revealed one of the pilots can be heard asking the other WHY he cut off the fuel, while the other pilot responded that he had not done so.
However it's not yet clear which remarks were made by the Captain and which by the First Officer, or who it was who called 'Mayday Mayday Mayday' seconds before the fatal crash.
The preliminary findings do NOT make clear just HOW the fuel pump switch could have flipped to the 'OFF' position, but aviation experts say these switches cannot just 'move' accidentally, by someone bumping off them, or accidentally touching them. Smoke rises after a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat. Pic: Nandan Dave/Anadolu via Getty Images
At this point in the investigation, there are NO recommended actions to Boeing or the engine manufacturers according to the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, the organisation heading up the probe into the disaster.
The plane's two black boxes, both combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days following the crash, but aviation experts say that most air crashes are caused by 'multiple factors'. India's prime minister Narendra Modi (left) meeting with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, sole survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash, at a hospital in Ahmedabad. Pic: Narendra Modi Youtube Channel/AFP via Getty Images
India's aviation experts have also given Air India a warning for breaching other rules by flying three Airbus aircraft that were overdue safety checks on the escape slides, and there were also worries about 'serious violations' in pilot duty timings.
One man survived the deadly Air India crash and walked from the wreckage with minor injuries. Flames can be seen billowing behind Vishwash Kumar Ramesh as he walks from the rubble of the medical college, destroyed when the giant Airbus A380 Dreamliner plunged into the building, killing 260 passengers and crew on board and 29 people on the ground.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Air India crash investigation 'far from over' says CEO
The investigation into last month's Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad city is "far from over," CEO Campbell Wilson has said in an internal memo, adding that the airline is open to further inquiries and warned against "premature conclusions". The memo, seen by Reuters, comes after a preliminary report on Saturday showed confusion in the cockpit shortly before the Air India jetliner crashed and killed 260 people last month, after the plane's engine fuel cutoff switches flipped almost simultaneously and starved the engines of fuel. The Boeing Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff, according to the report on the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade released by Indian accident investigators. The memo said that the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the 12 June disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not. In its 15-page report, the investigation bureau said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, "the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec". "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," it said. The aircraft quickly began to lose altitude. The 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. Air traffic controllers asked the pilots what was wrong, but then saw the plane crashing and called emergency personnel to the scene. Last week, specialist website The Air Current, citing multiple sources familiar with the probe, reported it had "narrowed its focus to the movement of the engine fuel switches", while noting that full analysis will "take months - if not longer". It added that "the focus of the investigators could change during that time". The Indian agency's report said that the US Federal Aviation Administration had issued an information bulletin in 2018 about "the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature". Though the concern was not considered an "unsafe condition" that would warrant a more serious directive, Air India told investigators it did not carry out suggested inspections as they were "advisory and not mandatory". One passenger survived, a British citizen who was seen walking out of the wreckage Air India was compliant with all airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins on the aircraft, the report said. The investigations bureau said there were "no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers", suggesting no technical issues with the engines (GE) or the aircraft (Boeing). The bureau said the investigation was ongoing, and that additional evidence and information has been "sought from the stakeholders". The UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation stipulates that states heading an investigation must submit a preliminary report within 30 days of an accident. US and British air accident investigators have taken part in the probe. The plane was carrying 230 passengers, 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian, along with 12 crew members. Dozens of people on the ground were injured. One passenger miraculously survived, a British citizen who was seen walking out of the wreckage of the crash, and who has since been discharged from hospital. Health officials in the Indian state of Gujarat initially said at least 279 people were killed, but forensic scientists reduced the figure after multiple scattered and badly burnt remains were identified.
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Air India pilot's mental health probed and medical records seized after fuel turned off in cockpit killing 260
CRASH investigators are said to be probing the medical records of the doomed Air India flight's Captain amid claims he suffered from mental health problems. Preliminary report into the fatal crash found the which led to a 10 Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot in the doomed Air India flight 10 Officials inspect the remains of the Air India passenger plane at the crash site near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad Credit: EPA 10 One of the rear landing gears amid debris at the site of a plane crash Credit: EPA 10 The plane seconds before disaster Credit: X The Air India flight bound to London Gatwick was led by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was reportedly just months away from retirement. But the pilot had been considering leaving the airlines early to look after his elderly father, A leading aviation expert in India told the media outlet that Captain Sabharwal reportedly suffered from mental health issues and depression - and had taken time off in the last few years following his mum's death. Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a former instructor pilot of Boeing 737, said: "I have heard from several Air India pilots who told me he had some depression and mental health issues. more on Air india crash "He had taken time off from flying in the last three to four years." Although Mr Ranganathan added that Captain Sabharwal "must have been medically cleared by the company [Air India] doctors" before flying. He is understood to have taken a Class I medical exam on September 5 last year. Investigators are now said to be probing his medical records after the preliminary crash report indicated there may have been human error, although some aviation experts claim it is a case of deliberate action. Most read in The Sun Sources said the black box analysis has so far been unable to rule out 'improper, inadvertent or intentional' action that caused them to be flipped. Families of the victims who tragically died in the crash have Second-by-second breakdown of Air India jet disaster from mayday call to horror crash – all within a minute of takeoff They have dubbed the investigation "biased" and said it only appears to "blame the dead pilots". The Airline Pilots' Association of India (APAI) rejected the 'tone and direction' of the inquiry and said it came without sufficient evidence. However, India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said 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 added. Early findings in the 15-page report released by the Indian authorities indicate The fuel switches were then toggled to the "RUN" position, and the engines appeared to be gathering power , but failed to stop the plane from decelerating. Key findings of the report: Dual engine shutdown - fuel cutoff switches moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' Confusion between pilots - cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked 'why did you cutoff', the other replied 'I didn't' RAT deployed - as seen in CCTV footage before the crash Engine relight attempted - fuel switches were found returned to the "RUN" at crash site 32 seconds - the time the aircraft was airborne before it crashed Thrust levers mismatch - Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged Fuel test pass - fuel was clean without any contamination Normal take-off set-up - Flaps and landing gear correctly configured No bird activity - clear skies, good visibility, light winds Pilot credentials clear - both medically fit and rested No sabotage detected - although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India Aircraft loading - the flight was within weight and balance limits 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. Nor does it "identify the cause - whether it was crew error, mechanical malfunction, or electronic failure." Flipping the switches to cut off almost immediately cuts the fuel supply to 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. But the inconclusive report, which came after 30 days of the crash, does not indicate that the flight encountered any such emergency situation. 10 A cockpit view of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft shows the fuel switch; Annotations by The Sun Graphics Credit: Getty 10 Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight Credit: Getty 10 Rear end of the aircraft after it crashed into a medical hostel 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. The report points out that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 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. A similar switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB Dreamliner in question. 10 The FAA and Boeing have now privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, according to four sources and a document seen by Reuters. The report said Air India had said it had not carried out the FAA's suggested inspections, as the FAA 2018 advisory was not a legal mandate. But it also said maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash. 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. 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. 10 Landing gear of the Air India plane crashed directly on the BJ Medical College UG hostel mess Credit: x/mitrapredator 10 Vishwash Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India crash, poses for the first time since the disaster Credit: Dan Charity
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Pilot error, a suicide mission or mechanical issue… just what – or who – turned off the fuel on Air India Flight 171?
TO the terrified locals who ducked when Air India Flight 171 narrowly missed their apartment block, captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his first officer are heroes. They are convinced the two pilots saved hundreds of lives by diverting the jet at the last moment after it suffered a catastrophic lack of thrust seconds after take-off. 5 Captain Sumeet Sabharwal Credit: Instagram 5 Co-pilot Clive Kunder was at the controls of the Air India jet when it crashed 5 Debris from Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad, India in June Yet those grateful families, along with the rest of the world, are now contemplating the awful possibility that either This is because That could be down to a mechanical issue or a deliberate act by one of the pilots — and aviation experts have told The Sun that the focus is very much on the latter. The 15-page document released by As the engines cut out, one of the two pilots is heard in the black box flight recording frantically asking the other: 'Why did you cut off?', to which the second insists, 'I did not do so'. Moments after the exchange, the switches were turned back on. One engine did restart but not in time to avert tragedy. The jet roared over a three-storey apartment block where 18 families live right next to Ahmedabad airport, missing the top floor by a few feet. Air India victims' families slam 'cover-up' probe as questions remain over possible engine switch confusion 'Murky situation' It then clipped trees and a building inside a compound belonging to the Army Medical Corps before slamming into a medical college, with nearly 60 tons of aviation fuel exploding in a ferocious fireball. Nineteen people died on the ground and all but one of the 242 people on board were killed. Miracle survivor The preliminary report does not rule out the possibility that the fuel supply was cut off due to a mechanical issue. But industry experts yesterday said the spotlight was firmly on the pilots — first officer Kunder, 32, who was at the controls, and captain Sabharwal, 56, who was 'pilot monitoring'. Terry Tozer, former pilot and author of Confessions Of An Airline Pilot — Why Planes Crash, said: 'The report is absolutely shocking. 'The implication is that somebody on the flight deck turned the fuel switches to cut-off and then somebody rescued that situation and put them back to 'run'. 'The engines began to reignite but they didn't have a chance to recover. The report is absolutely shocking. The implication is that somebody on the flight deck turned the fuel switches to cut-off and then somebody rescued that situation and put them back to 'run' Terry Tozer 'First one switch and then the other was set to cut-off, and that's how it would be done if you were doing it deliberately. 'If we assume the switches were functioning as intended, you could not knock them off accidentally. 'One pilot said to the other, 'Why did you turn the fuel off?' and the other one said, 'I didn't'. 'So obviously one of them thought the other one deliberately turned them off. 'It's a murky situation.' Air safety expert Julian Bray believes that pilot suicide is a possibility, just like in Julian said: 'It's impossible for a pilot to turn the switches from run to cut-off by accident. 'It has to be a deliberate act. 'It could be pilot suicide, which we had with Germanwings. 'We don't know yet from the exchange on the flight deck because one says, 'Why did you turn it off?' and the other comes back, 'I didn't'. Was he suddenly feeling guilty?' Julian also raised the possibility of a software glitch or even a third person being present in the cockpit. He said: 'Could it have been someone in the jump seat? 'The Dreamliner has two jump seats, which are behind the pilot and co-pilot seats. 'It's not uncommon for people to be in the jump seat. 'Quite often pilots or cabin crew will hitch a lift if there are no passenger seats available. 'Someone in one of the jump seats could have been feeling suicidal and leaned over and turned the switches. 5 Air India flight AI171 pictured moments before the crash 5 Thick black smoke billowing from the site after the crash 'It's highly unlikely, but it is conceivable and can't be ruled out. 'Also, what we don't know is whether there is a software override in the Dreamliner that can actually do that automatically. 'If it's a dire emergency then all sorts of other systems come into play that might have been part of another procedure. 'The investigators will be looking at all the systems and will try to work out whether it was fired remotely by the software, because these glitches have happened before.' Aviation lawyer Demetrius Danas, from legal firm Irwin Mitchell, is representing a number of the British victims' families. He said: 'The initial findings are deeply concerning. 'Three seconds after take-off, the fuel was cut off to one engine and then almost immediately the other one. 'It is a really chilling conversation between the two pilots. The initial findings are deeply concerning. Three seconds after take-off, the fuel was cut off to one engine and then almost immediately the other one. It is a really chilling conversation between the two pilotsegan to reignite but they didn't have a chance to recover Demetrius Danas 'Hopefully we will learn what was said before this exchange but it does seem clear these two buttons were switched off and then tried to be put back on again, but it was too late. 'If it is pilot error, was it inadvertent, absent-minded or was it deliberate? 'It is baffling. 'If it's intentional, is it muscle memory doing something you have done many times before but on this occasion at the wrong time? 'The switches are used on every flight, but when it ends. 'This time it was done when it started. 'The families are desperate to know why the engines were starved of fuel and how that happened.' Lawyer, aviation expert and qualified helicopter pilot James Healy-Pratt, of Keystone Law, is representing another 20 of the British families. He added a note of caution to the speculation that the fuel switches were turned off by a deliberate act. James said: 'It is possible they were deliberately touched, but that's as hard as I can go at the moment. 'I think it is too early to come to conclusions such as suicide or mass homicide, because put yourself in the shoes of one of the families. 'It's one thing to lose loved ones from an accident. 'It's very different to lose loved ones who suddenly become victims of an intentional crime. 'Everything does now centre around two things — those fuel control levers and what happened in the cockpit over about 20 seconds. 'We will be filing a lawsuit against Boeing in the States to get more information about those switches. 'It's the only way we have of trying to get some evidence, and our families want answers.' One of the families waiting to learn more are the relatives of Ashok Patel, 74, and his wife Shobhana, 71, from Orpington, Kent. They had been married for 47 years and were flying home after visiting India on a religious pilgrimage. Furious row Ashok was a financial adviser and Shobhana a microbiologist who had worked for the NHS for 37 years. Son Miten, 40, who now wears the emerald ring his dad had on when he died and which was recovered from the crash site, said: 'They had gone through so many challenges in life. 'They had this strength that you don't give up. That is what is keeping us going now. They were inseparable and were loved by so many people. 'It's incredible the number of text messages I have had since they died. 'Dad had the ability to walk into a room and talk to anyone. He was always interested in other people. 'And Mum was the rock of our extended family. She was there every day for any relative, in good times or bad. If someone was coming round for lunch she would make a full-blown Hindu meal. 'I would say, 'Mum, what are you doing? You're spending the entire evening making this huge meal and they are just calling round'. 'She would say, 'They're coming to our house and we always welcome our guests properly'. It's impossible for a pilot to turn the switches from run to cut-off by accident. It has to be a deliberate act. It could be pilot suicide, which we had with Germanwings Julian Bray 'Since the plane went down, there have been so many theories but until we see the final report that this is the cause or that is the cause, only then should we go down that route. 'It is going to take time, which causes more heartache and frustration because people want answers. 'For all of the families this is a tragedy and we are entitled to know what happened and there has to be accountability. 'But we have to wait for the final report and hope it will conclude on evidence-based information which will prevent this from ever happening again.' The preliminary report reveals that But that was not due to any problem with the switches, and there has been no report of any defect with the switches since then, it states. That further turns the focus on to the pilots, which has triggered a furious row in India. The Airline Pilots' Association of India blasted the report because it 'appears biased toward pilot error'. The pilots union added: 'This investigation seems to presume pilot fault, and we strongly object to that narrative. 'We strongly reject any premature conclusions and urge a fact-based, unbiased inquiry.' Meanwhile, the only survivor from the flight continues to struggle to deal with the aftermath a month on from crawling out of the wreckage.
