Fuel switches cut off before Air India crash, preliminary report says
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off on June 12 in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed.
The report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, published late on Friday, said the jet was carrying 54,200kg of fuel, which was within the 'allowable limits'.
The report then said: 'The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and 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.'
Referring to data recovered from the plane's two Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR), it went on: 'As per the EAFR, the Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN at about 08:08:52 UTC. The APU Inlet Door began opening at about 08:08:54 UTC, consistent with the APU Auto Start logic.
'Thereafter, at 08:08:56 UTC the 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 engine's full authority dual engine control (FADEC) automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction.'
While the engines started to recover, one of the pilots transmitted 'mayday, mayday, mayday' before the jet was observed by air traffic control to crash outside the airport.
Some 241 people on board were killed in the crash and one passenger survived, while 19 other people also died and 67 were seriously injured.
The plane crashed and struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad.
The report states: 'The aircraft was destroyed due to impact with the buildings on the ground and subsequent fire.
'A total of five buildings were impacted and suffered major structural and fire damages.'
The only surviving passenger was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay.
Both pilots, who were based at Mumbai and had arrived in Ahmedabad the previous day, had taken an 'adequate rest period' before the flight.
The crew, who had been given a breath analyser test earlier, were recorded as fit to operate the flight.
No significant bird activity was spotted near the flight path and the aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall.
Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage and quarantined at a hangar in the nearby airport.
Investigators have identified 'components of interest for further examinations,' the report says.
Fuel samples that were taken from tanks used to refuel the aircraft were 'satisfactory'.
The report added: 'Very limited amount of fuel samples could be retrieved from the APU filter and Refuel/Jettison valve of the left wing.
'The testing of these samples will be done at a suitable facility capable of carrying out the test with the limited available quantity.'
Statements have been taken from Mr Ramesh and witnesses by the investigators, who will also be looking at the post-mortem reports of the crew and the passengers.
This is being done 'to corroborate aeromedical findings with the engineering appreciation,' the report adds.
An Air India spokesman said: 'Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.'
The spokesman added: 'Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators.
'We continue to fully co-operate with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
43 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Air India pilot's chilling question seconds before deadly crash revealed – as probe finds switch issue flagged in 2018
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ONE of the pilots operating the doomed Air India flight asked why fuel was cut off just seconds after takeoff, a preliminary report has found. Initial investigation of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Box indicates a possibility that the pilots may have made an error while operating the flight bound for London. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 12 People look at the debris of an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad of India's Gujarat state Credit: Alamy 12 A view of the site where a plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport Credit: Getty 12 Debris at the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport Credit: EPA 12 Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot 12 Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight 12 The plane seconds before disaster with its landing gear still extended Credit: x/nchorAnandN All but one of the 242 passengers and crew died when the flight crashed into a medical hostel just seconds after taking off - with Vishwash Ramesh, 40, the only one to survive. Another 19 people were killed on the ground in Ahmedabad. A 15-page preliminary report into the crash, released by the Indian authorities last night, indicates 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. This could have triggered a loss of thrust, which resulted in the jet ploughing into a medical college. 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. Another sign that the switches were turned off was the deployment of the plane's emergency power system, a ram air turbine or RAT, which was pictured hanging down from the flight during its last moments. Fuel switches are typically flipped to "CUTOFF" position after a flight safely touches down and reaches the airport gate. Second-by-second breakdown of Air India jet disaster from mayday call to horror crash – all within a minute of takeoff Or it is done in case of a certain emergency situation, such as the event of 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. 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. It is worth noting that the same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB Dreamliner in question. 12 A cockpit of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft Credit: Getty 12 Rescue officials work at the site where the Air India flight crashed Credit: AFP 12 The plane crashed into a doctor's hostel Credit: EPA 12 The report also found that pilots were able to restart one of the engines, but failed to stop the plane from decelerating. No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane's flight path, the report added. The initial investigation was led by a panel including the Indian authorities and experts from Boeing US and the UK. 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 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. 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. 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." 12 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the only survivor in an Air India plane crash at a hospital in Ahmedabad Credit: Alamy 12 Vishwash Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India crash, poses for the first time since the disaster Credit: Dan Charity
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
What the ‘black box' can tell us about plane crashes
A preliminary finding into last month's Air India plane crash has suggested the aircraft's fuel control switches were turned off, starving the engines of fuel and causing a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday, also found that one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel in the flight's final moment. The other pilot replied he did not do so. The Air India flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India's worst aviation disasters. The report based its finding on the data recovered from the plane's black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders. Here is an explanation of what black boxes are and what they can do: What are black boxes? The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder are tools that help investigators reconstruct the events that lead up to a plane crash. They're orange in color to make them easier to find in wreckage, sometimes at great ocean depths. They're usually installed a plane's tail section, which is considered the most survivable part of the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board 's website. What does the cockpit voice recorder do? The cockpit voice recorder collects radio transmissions and sounds such as the pilot's voices and engine noises, according to the NTSB's website. Depending on what happened, investigators may pay close attention to the engine noise, stall warnings and other clicks and pops, the NTSB said. And from those sounds, investigators can often determine engine speed and the failure of some systems. Investigators can also listen to conversations between the pilots and crew and communications with air traffic control. Experts make a meticulous transcript of the voice recording, which can take up to a week. What does the flight data recorder do? The flight data recorder monitors a plane's altitude, airspeed and heading, according to the NTSB. Those factors are among at least 88 parameters that newly built planes must monitor. Some can collect the status of more than 1,000 other characteristics, from a wing's flap position to the smoke alarms. The NTSB said it can generate a computer animated video reconstruction of the flight from the information collected. What are the origins of the black box? At least two people have been credited with creating devices that record what happens on an airplane. One is French aviation engineer François Hussenot. In the 1930s, he found a way to record a plane's speed, altitude and other parameters onto photographic film, according to the website for European plane-maker Airbus. In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary. Warren had been investigating the crash of the world's first commercial jet airliner, the Comet, in 1953, and thought it would be helpful for airline accident investigators to have a recording of voices in the cockpit, the Australian Department of Defence said in a statement after his death. Warren designed and constructed a prototype in 1956. But it took several years before officials understood just how valuable the device could be and began installing them in commercial airlines worldwide. Why the name 'black box'? Some have suggested that it stems from Hussenot's device because it used film and 'ran continuously in a light-tight box, hence the name 'black box,'' according to Airbus, which noted that orange was the box's chosen color from the beginning to make it easy to find. Other theories include the boxes turning black when they get charred in a crash, the Smithsonian Magazine wrote in 2019. The media continues to use the term, the magazine wrote, 'because of the sense of mystery it conveys in the aftermath of an air disaster.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Air India pilot's last question seconds before deadly crash revealed – as probe finds switch issue was flagged in 2018
ONE of the pilots operating the doomed Air India flight asked why fuel was cut off just seconds after takeoff, a preliminary report has found. Initial investigation of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Box indicates a possibility that the pilots may have made an error while operating the flight bound for London. 7 7 7 7 7 7 All but one of the 242 passengers and crew died when the flight crashed into a medical hostel just seconds after taking off - with Vishwash Ramesh, 40, the only one to survive. Another 19 people were killed on the ground in Ahmedabad. A 15-page preliminary report into the crash, released by the Indian authorities last night, indicates 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. This could have triggered a loss of thrust, which resulted in the jet ploughing into a medical college. 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. Another sign that the switches were turned off was the deployment of the plane's emergency power system, a ram air turbine or RAT, which was pictured hanging down from the flight during its last moments. Fuel switches are typically flipped to "CUTOFF" position after a flight safely touches down and reaches the airport gate. Or it is done in case of a certain emergency situation, such as the event of 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. 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. It is worth noting that the same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB Dreamliner in question. 7 The report also found that pilots were able to restart one of the engines, but failed to stop the plane from decelerating. No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane's flight path, the report added. The initial investigation was led by a panel including the Indian authorities and experts from Boeing US and the UK. 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 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. 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. 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.
