Preliminary finding
At any time, about 15,000 to 20,000 commercial aeroplanes are in the air during peak hours. It is terrifying to think that the fuel could choke automatically, in some planes, for some reason. What will happen if the flight is cruising at 20,000 or 30,000-feet height? The very thought is chilling.
Air travel is very common in our global connected world. Hopefully the investigations will zero into the precise triggers of the accident, so that people are not petrified to fly. We cannot have a situation where people pray every time before boarding a flight or even avoid air travel.
Rajendra Aneja,
Mumbai, India
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The National
3 days ago
- The National
Air India crash probe: What we know so far about the fatal Boeing 787 accident
A preliminary report on the investigation into the Air India flight that crashed last month has answered some questions about the fatal accident but raised many more and fuelled speculation about the cause. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released the report on July 12, shedding some light on the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI 171. But it has also led to debate about the role of the pilots, the flow of fuel to the plane's engines and the merits of installing cockpit cameras to help aviation safety authorities in their investigations. So what do we know so far about the accident and the shockwaves it has sent through the aviation industry? What happened? The Air India aircraft – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, in Gujarat, north-west India, on June 12. The London Gatwick-bound flight, which was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed into buildings of a medical college near the airport. The accident killed 260 people − all the crew, all but one of the passengers and 19 people on the ground. The aircraft, registration VT-ANB, was fitted with GE engines. What is the cause of the crash? The 15-page preliminary report released by the AAIB suggested that the aircraft's fuel control switches were turned off, cutting fuel to the engines and causing a loss of engine thrust shortly after take-off. Fuel control switches regulate fuel flow into an aircraft's engines, used by pilots to start or shut down engines on the ground or to manually shut down or restart engines, if an engine failure occurs during a flight. '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,' the report said. It did not identify which of the remarks were made by the flight's captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted, 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday' just before the crash. The switches had been flipped back to the run position, the report said, but the plane could not gain power quickly enough to avoid crashing. The report findings left a key question unanswered: Why and by which pilot were two fuel switches moved to a cut-off position, starving the two engines of thrust just as the plane needed the most lift. The report is based on data from the aircraft's black boxes, which combines digital flight data and cockpit voice information. Can theories by substantiated? In a statement on July 17, the AAIB said that it is 'too early to reach any definitive conclusions' about the cause of the crash. 'The investigation by the AAIB is still not complete. The final investigation report will come out with root causes and recommendations,' it said. The body urged the public and the media to refrain from 'spreading premature narratives' that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process. It added that 'certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting.' This came after media reports abounded about the role of one of the pilots in cutting the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, but these have not been substantiated by official findings. When will the final report come out? The AAIB said on July 17 that it will publish updates 'as and when required'. 'AAIB appeals to all concerned to await publication of Final Investigation Report after completion of the investigation. AAIB will also publish updates, as and when required, which have technical and public interest,' the body said in a statement, without providing a date for the final report. What have Boeing said so far? The Air India crash marks the first hull loss for Boeing's 787 widebody aircraft. Boeing has said it continues to support the investigation. The accident will be a 'stress test' for Boeing, which had made progress in rebuilding trust after a series of safety and production quality lapses, analysts have said. 'At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,' according to the AAIB report. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, said earlier this week that there is a 'strong argument' to install cockpit cameras that would help aviation safety authorities investigating accidents such as the Air India crash, Bloomberg reported. What has Air India done in response to the accident? India's civil aviation regulator ordered the country's airlines this week to investigate the locking feature on the fuel switches of several Boeing models. Air India's inspection of the locking feature on the fuel control switches of its existing Boeing 787 aircraft found no issues, AFP reported, citing an internal airline memo. What are other Boeing 737 and 787 operators doing? Flydubai has joined several other airlines in the Middle East in checking the cockpit fuel switches on their Boeing aircraft, following the Air India crash investigation report. Flydubai conducted 'precautionary inspections' of the fuel switches on its Boeing 737. Elsewhere in the region, Saudia said it had completed precautionary inspections on the fuel shut-off switch system across its 787 fleet and that 'all aircraft remain fully operational.' Oman Air said it has finished checks on its 787s and is completing inspections of its 737s. When will Air India resume normal flight schedules? Air India on July 15 said it had performed additional precautionary checks on its Boeing 787 aircraft and would partially restore its international flight schedule, which it had scaled back after the crash. It will resume some flight frequencies from August 1, with full restoration planned from October 1. With the partial restoration, Air India will operate more than 525 international flights per week on 63 short, long and ultra long-haul routes.
The National
3 days ago
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Gratitude to the UAE's emergency medical team
On May 25, I experienced a life-threatening medical emergency. It felt like the oxygen switch in my body had been turned off. I live alone and was gasping for oxygen as hopelessly as if I was in an anoxic environment, and with what little breath I had left, I struggled to dial the emergency hotline. My voice was barely audible. Within minutes, the emergency medical team arrived at my door. Calm and professional, they swiftly stabilised me with remarkable precision and care. In that terrifying moment, they breathed life back into me. I find myself unable to keep this to myself. Every now and then, the memory of that day plays back in my mind. I feel deeply indebted to the UAE. The least I can do is to publicly acknowledge and thank this country for building a system that truly protects its people. To the government and to those responders: thank you for saving my life. Ini Ntuk, Dubai Air India crash report shocker With reference to the report Fuel supply cut off seconds before Air India crash, investigation finds (July 12): It was disturbing to read that the Air India AI171 fight crash was possibly triggered by a cut-off of the fuel to the engines. This is a preliminary finding and further investigations are in progress. The US Federal Aviation Administration, had advised as early as December 2018, that the spring-loaded switch could malfunction, under some circumstances. At any time, typically about 15,000 to 20,000 commercial airplanes are in the air during peak hours. It is terrifying to think that the fuel could choke automatically, in some planes, for an unknown reason. What will happen if the flight is cruising at 20,000 or 30,000-feet height? The very thought is chilling. Air travel is very common in our global connected world. Hopefully the investigations will zero into the precise triggers of the accident, so that people are not petrified to fly. We cannot have a situation where people pray every time before boarding a flight or even avoid air travel. Rajendra Aneja, Mumbai, India UAE's water supply for Gazans In reference to the article UAE to supply desalinated water to Gaza through new pipeline (July 15): The UAE's plan to supply desalinated water to Gaza through a new pipeline could be a significant aid to the people and improve living conditions. Yulia Bigdanova, Abu Dhabi Israel's denial of water, food and medicine to the women and children of Gaza is a war crime that humanity will never forget or forgive. John Moore, Colorado, US The anguish of parents in Gaza With regard to Nagham Mohanna and Rakan Abdel El Rahman's story Gaza mother's anguish after three children hit by Israeli air strike (July 15): Children don't deserve this. Innocent civilians shouldn't suffer for the actions of an Israel's extreme rightwing government. It's high time the American administration understood this.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Inside the cockpit: Second-by-second account of how Air India flight ended in disaster
A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the Boeing 787 jet's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Here is the sequence of events - by the seconds - on June 12, as detailed by Indian investigators in their preliminary investigation report released on Saturday: 05:47 GMT (11:17am IST) – Air India Dreamliner VT-ANB landed in Ahmedabad from New Delhi as AI423. 07:48:38 GMT – The aircraft was observed departing from Bay 34 at the airport. 07:55:15 GMT – The aircraft requested taxi clearance, which was granted by air traffic control; a minute later the aircraft taxied from the bay to Runway 23 via Taxiway R4, backtracked and lined up for take-off. 08:02:03 GMT - The aircraft was transferred from ground to tower control. 08:07:33 GMT – Take-off clearance issued. 08:07:37 GMT - The aircraft started rolling. 08:08:39 GMT – Aircraft lifted off. "The aircraft air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode, consistent with liftoff," the report said. 08:08:42 GMT – Aircraft reached max airspeed of 180 knots. "Immediately thereafter, 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." "The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so. "The CCTV footage obtained from the airport showed Ram Air Turbine (RAT) getting deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off. "The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall." 08:08:47 GMT – Both engines' values "passed below minimum idle speed", and the RAT hydraulic pump began supplying hydraulic power. 08:08:52 GMT – Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN. 08:08:56 GMT – Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitions from CUTOFF to RUN. "When fuel control switches are moved from CUTOFF to RUN while the aircraft is inflight, each engines full authority dual engine control (FADEC) automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction." "Engine 1's core deceleration stopped, reversed and started to progress to recovery. Engine 2 was able to relight but could not arrest core speed deceleration and re-introduced fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration and recovery." 08:09:05 GMT – One of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY". 08:09:11 GMT – Data recording stopped.
