Air India crash pilots may have made 'fatal error' seconds after take off
A pilot error is suspected to be behind last month's horrific Air India fireball crash which killed 260 people, investigators claim.
The aircraft, which had only just set off for Gatwick, suddenly crashed into a medical college after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad on June 12.
Now inspectors have analysed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Box with officials saying the recorder indicates a "possibility" that the pilots could have made a mistake while operating the passenger jet.
As the Mirror reports, early assessments have indicated there was no apparent fault with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which went down shortly after takeoff.
A preliminary report into the disaster points to switches to the engines' fuel supplies being turned off seconds after it left the runway.
This, it has been claimed by sources close to the investigation, could have triggered a loss of thrust, resulting in the plane ploughing into the building.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot on the journey, with Clive Kunder acting as his co-pilot. The findings of the probe, which is run by the the US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and GE Aerospace, are starting to be made public.
An investigation was immediately launched after the tragedy - and the Indian government revealed investigators were looking into sabotage as a possible cause. Murlidhar Mohol, the country's Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said two week ago: "The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full probe. It is being assessed from all angles, including any possible sabotage."
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Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site a couple of days after the crash. These boxes - which are typically orange, not black - are considered the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash. There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder.
The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to the national capital, New Delhi, in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months.
Investigators were left stunned after one passenger was named as the sole survivor of the crash. British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh miraculously made it out alive, while 241 people onboard and 29 people on the ground were declared dead.
A committee is expected to file an official preliminary report within three months. Following the crash, Indian authorities ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents. The airline ha s 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.
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Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Who were the two pilots who flew the Air India jet that crashed?
NEW DELHI, July 12 (Reuters) - Investigators probing a deadly Air India crash said in a preliminary report that the aircraft's engine fuel switches were flipped to an off position briefly, leading to confusion in the cockpit and putting focus on the pilots flying the Boeing 787. Below is a brief profile of the two pilots based on the preliminary investigation report and media reports: The 56-year-old had an airline transport pilot's licence that was valid until May 14, 2026. He had obtained clearances to fly as pilot-in-command on several aircraft including the Boeing 787 and 777 and the Airbus ( opens new tab A310. He had total flying experience of 15,638 hours, of which 8,596 hours were on a Boeing 787. Sabharwal had called his family from the airport, assuring them he would ring again after landing in London, according to a Times of India report. A pilot who had briefly interacted with him told Reuters he was a "gentleman." The 32-year-old had a commercial pilot license which was issued in 2020 and valid until September 26, 2025. He had obtained clearances to fly Cessna 172 and Piper PA-34 Seneca aircraft as pilot-in-command and as co-pilot on Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 jets. He had total flying experience of 3,403 hours. Of that, 1,128 hours of experience were as a 787 co-pilot. Since his school-going days Kunder was passionate about flying, and in 2012, began serving as a pilot, Indian media reported, citing his relatives. He joined Air India in 2017.
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India breaks silence after report suggests pilots may have made fatal error
Air India has spoken out after crash investigators shared a preliminary report into the disaster suggested switches to the engines' fuel supplies may have been turned off seconds after it left the runway Air India officials have spoken out after crash investigators suggested pilot error could be behind last month's Air India crash The aircraft, which had only just set off for Gatwick, suddenly crashed into a medical college after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad on June 12. British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh miraculously made it out alive, while 241 people onboard and 29 people on the ground were declared dead. Now, analysis of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Box indicates a "possibility" that the pilots could have made a mistake while operating the jet. The early assessments indicate no apparent fault with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which went down shortly after take off. A preliminary report into the disaster points to switches to the engines' fuel supplies being turned off seconds after it left the runway. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot on the journey, with Clive Kunder acting as his co-pilot. The findings of the probe, which is run by the the US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and GE Aerospace, are starting to be made public. Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site a couple of days after the crash. These boxes - which are typically orange, not black - are considered the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash. There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to the national capital, New Delhi, in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months. A committee is expected to file an official preliminary report within three months. Following the crash, Indian authorities ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents. An Air India spokesperson has broken their silence since news of the report was made public, they 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. "We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025. Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully co-operate with the 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."
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