
Air India crash report reveals chilling exchange between pilots
A chilling conversation in the cockpit between two pilots moments before the Air India crash has been revealed in a new report.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) released its initial report last night, a month after the tragedy in Ahmedabad that left 242 people on the flight dead and another 29 on the ground.
Recovered black box data confirmed the aircraft began its rapid descent within a minute of departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, causing it to crash into a building housing doctors at the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital.
Investigators now believe switches controlling the fuel supply to both engines were mistakenly turned off shortly after take-off, causing both engines to lose power and triggering the devastating crash.
The report states: '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.
'At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY'. The ATCO enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response.'
The Mirror reports that the preliminary findings primarily focus on the new detail that switches had been turned off after take-off, resulting in an apparent loss of thrust after reaching only 625 feet.
The AAIB's preliminary findings also confirmed there was 'no bird activity' around Ahmedabad at the time of the accident, ruling out the theory of a bird strike to both engines.
It reads: 'No significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall.'
Describing the damage to the Boeing 747 Dreamliner and the buildings on the ground, the report concludes: '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.
'As the aircraft was losing altitude, it initially made contact with a series of trees and an incineration chimney inside the Army Medical Corps compound before impacting the northeast wall of the first building.
'As the aircraft moved forward, it continued fragmenting and collided with other structures and vegetation. The impact witness marks on the building and airplane indicated a likely nose-up attitude (about 8°) and wings level.'
British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the only passenger to survive the crash, miraculously managing to walk away from the wreckage despite his injuries. He has since given a statement to investigators, the conclusion of the report states.
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Scottish Sun
15 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Air India pilot's mental health probed and medical records seized after fuel turned off in cockpit killing 260
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CRASH investigators are said to be investigating the medical records of the doomed Air India flight Captain amid claims he suffered from mental health problems. Preliminary report into the fatal crash found the plane's fuel switches were cut off, which led to a catastrophic loss of thrust during the initial take-off. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 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, The Telegraph revealed. 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. "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. 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 slammed the preliminary report as a cover-up. 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 switches to the engines' fuel supplies were moved from the "RUN" position to "CUTOFF". 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' - 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' - 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 - as seen in CCTV footage before the crash Engine relight attempted - fuel switches were found returned to the "RUN" at crash site - fuel switches were found returned to the "RUN" at crash site 32 seconds - the time the aircraft was airborne before it crashed 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 - Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged Fuel test pass - fuel was clean without any contamination - fuel was clean without any contamination Normal take-off set-up - Flaps and landing gear correctly configured - Flaps and landing gear correctly configured No bird activity - clear skies, good visibility, light winds - clear skies, good visibility, light winds Pilot credentials clear - both medically fit and rested - both medically fit and rested No sabotage detected - although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India - 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 fligh 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


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Air India flight crash: Not easy to ‘accidentally' cut off fuel switches, expert says
The fuel switches that were cut off before the Air India plane crash are the kind used on every flight, and designed so that this cannot easily 'accidentally' happen, an aviation expert has said. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Another 19 other people also died and 67 were seriously injured. A preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, published on Friday, said both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. '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 reads. The switches were then returned to their normal inflight position, which triggered an automatic engine relight and a thrust recovery procedure. While the engines started to recover, one of the pilots transmitted 'mayday, mayday, mayday', before the plane was seen by air traffic control to crash outside the airport. The fuel switches are used at the end of every flight and in emergency scenarios such as a fire, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, Professor Graham Braithwaite said. They are designed so they cannot easily be 'accidentally' turned off and pilots would generally run through a checklist before doing so, he said. 'For obvious reasons, the two switches are a distance apart, so not a huge distance, but enough that you couldn't accidentally switch two when you're trying to switch one. 'So it's not like the lights in your house, where they're right next to each other, so there is some space between them. 'They're in that centre console, so that's in between the two pilots, so they can each reach them with the same ease.' Professor Braithwaite said that if the switch had been moved by a person, that would have been a 'very unusual thing to do' at below 1,000 feet. 'It's not the point of flight where you try and call for your coffee, it's a period of flight where your focus is very, very clear, and that first 1,000 feet, it's about keeping the airplane climbing and that's not about clicking switches.' He added: 'I could see why a nervous flyer would be nervous at the thought that it's possible to shut both engines down at a critical stage in flight, but for whatever reason, and that there are a number of things that are in place to stop it from accidentally happening.' The aircraft was about 11 years old, the fuel switches had been changed two years ago, and the crash was a 'really, really unusual event', Professor Braithwaite said. Of the next stage of the investigation, he said: 'If somebody did wilfully move a switch, then was it on the one hand a wilful active sabotage, in which case the investigation changes considerably, because this safety investigation that published the report yesterday will not be leading on that, that would be a police investigation. 'So that would change at that point, but if it wasn't clear that it was that wilful action, you'd be looking at, well, what kind of mistake might somebody have made?' Of his general thoughts on the preliminary report, he said the authors have been 'very careful in their wording' to demonstrate they remain 'open minded' about what could have happened. A lawyer advising some of the families affected by the crash said the findings were 'deeply concerning'. Demetrius Danas, an aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: 'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with those who've lost loved ones in such devastating circumstances. 'The findings of the initial report are deeply concerning and certainly merit further scrutiny to establish the full facts around how this tragedy happened. 'We're continuing to speak with and advise families who've been affected by the Air India crash. Understandably, all they want is to be provided with answers.' The only surviving passenger on the plane 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. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities. If the final investigation takes more than a year to complete, an interim report would be issued on the anniversary of the crash, Professor Braithwaite said, adding that interim recommendations could be made at any time. The preliminary report says that all crew members had been breathalised on their arrival at Ahmedabad airport, which found they were '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 taken from tanks used to refuel the aircraft were 'satisfactory'. Statements have been taken from Mr Ramesh and witnesses by investigators, who will also be looking at the post-mortem examination 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 inquiries to the AAIB.'


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Air India Crash: Aviation authority says fuel switches are safe
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said the fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes are safe, following their reported involvement in a fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people in safety of the switches has become a key point of concern after a preliminary report on the disaster was released by investigators on report said fuel to the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner engines was cut off moments after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, and highlighted past FAA reports that suggested the switches should be inspected for Flight 171 crash, which was headed to London when it crashed, was one of the worst aviation incidents globally in almost a decade. Switches controlling fuel flow to the jet's engines had been moved from "run" to the "cut-off" position, hampering the thrust of the plane, according to the preliminary report, which was published by the India Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).Investigators referred to a 2018 FAA advisory, which urged - but did not mandate - operators of Boeing models to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cut-off switches to ensure they could not be moved by accident. This step was not taken by Air India, the AAIB said in its early findings. The FAA on Friday told civil aviation authorities that it had seen AAIB's preliminary noted that its own 2018 advisory "was based on reports that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged" - but added that it does not believe this makes the planes unsafe."Although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787," said the authority, in an internal note shared with the BBC. "The FAA will continue to share relevant information with foreign civil aviation authorities as appropriate."AAIB, which reviewed recovered cockpit voice recordings, reported that one pilot could be heard during the flight asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," said the said the fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off just after take-off. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped during the India Flight 171 was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad in India to London's Gatwick plane crashed into a medical college near the airport within a minute of take-off, killing 260 people who were mostly passengers. One British national survived the are expected to produce a more detailed report in 12 months.