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Telegraph
22-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Fuel switches were not faulty, says Air India, adding to pilot blame
Fuel switches were 'not at fault' for the crashed Air India flight, the airline said on Tuesday, adding to mounting evidence the pilots killed in the crash were to blame. Air India found no problems with the locking mechanism of the fuel control switch of all Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft in its fleet, the spokesman said. The captain of the crashed jet is likely to have cut off the fuel supply before it went down in Ahmedabad, US officials believe. The first officer, who was flying the Boeing 787-9, questioned why the captain had moved switches to the cut-off position, according to a US assessment of the black box data. He reportedly expressed surprise and panic while the captain remained calm, the Wall Street Journal reported. All but one of 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed when the aircraft plunged into a medical student hostel in a built-up suburb last month, less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad airport. In response to the tragedy, India's aviation regulator ordered airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets after a preliminary report released by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that switches controlling fuel flow to the jet's two engines were turned off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust at take-off. The switches were moved in succession, one second apart, according to the report. Some 10 seconds later, the switches were turned back on. The report did not say whether the switches may have been turned off accidentally or deliberately. The findings explain why the jet's emergency-power generator, known as a ram air turbine, appeared to have been activated moments before it plummeted to the ground. While the initial report does not draw any conclusion, it has raised questions about the actions of Sumeet Sabharwal, the lead pilot, and Clive Kundar, the co-pilot, who had more than 19,000 hours of flying time between them. In the moments before the disaster, Captain Sabharwal, 56, issued a mayday call. However, after the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of barely 400ft above the runway all contact was lost. The plane then glided down towards the ground and crashed into an explosion of fire. The Telegraph previously revealed that Air India crash investigators were examining the medical records of Mr Sabharwal amid claims that he suffered from depression and mental health problems. Captain Sabharwal had been considering leaving the airline to look after his elderly father following the death of his mother in 2022. The crash was the first fatal accident involving Boeing's Dreamliner. However, the airline had already suffered reputational damage after a string of safety and quality problems. The Dreamliner, which entered service in 2011, is popular among commercial airlines and is commonly used on international long-haul routes.
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Reuters
New details in Air India crash probe shift focus to senior pilot, WSJ reports
July 16 (Reuters) - A black-box recording of dialogue between the Air India flight's two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's two engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with U.S. officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Air India did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
Times of Oman
16-07-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Air India partially restores international flights after 'safety pause'
Gurugram: Air India has announced a phased resumption of its international operations following a "Safety Pause" implemented after the tragic crash of flight AI171 on June 12. The airline had suspended or reduced multiple routes to conduct precautionary inspections on its Boeing 787 aircraft and to adapt to longer flight paths necessitated by regional airspace closures. The airline on Tuesday said that partial services would be restored starting August 1, with full normal operations expected to resume by October 1. A total of 5 routes will see reinstated services or increased frequencies. Key changes include Delhi-London (Heathrow) - Full 24 weekly flights restored starting July 16, Delhi-Zurich - Increased from 4 to 5 flights per week from August 1, Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda) and Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) - Full weekly frequencies to be reinstated by August and September, respectively and Delhi-Amsterdam - To return to 7 flights per week from August 1. A new route between Ahmedabad and London (Heathrow) will operate three times weekly, replacing the current five-times-weekly Gatwick service. Additionally, Delhi-Nairobi services will operate three times a week until August 31, to be suspended from 1-30 September. Despite the partial restoration, over 15 routes will continue to operate at reduced frequencies until at least the end of September. These include: The flights between Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) remains reduced from 7x weekly to 6x weekly; will further reduce to 4x weekly, effective August 1. The Delhi-Paris flight will cut to 7x weekly from 12x, starting August 1. The Delhi-Milan flight will be reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly, effective 16 July while the Delhi-Copenhagen remains reduced from 5x weekly to 3x weekly. The Delhi-Vienna flight remains reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly and Amritsar-Birmingham remains reduced from 3x weekly to 2x weekly until 31 August; to operate 3x weekly, effective September 1. The flight between Delhi-Birmingham remains reduced from 3x weekly to 2x weekly. North American destinations such as Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, New York (JFK and Newark) remain reduced, with frequencies ranging from 3 to 7 flights per week. The flights between Delhi-Melbourne and Delhi-Sydney continue at 5x weekly. The four international routes remain suspended until September 30, which includes flights between Amritsar-London (Gatwick), Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick), Bengaluru-Singapore and Pune-Singapore. Air India stated that it is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer rebooking options or full refunds. 'As the schedule reductions taken as part of the Safety Pause had been implemented until 31 July 2025 and the restoration to full operation is being phased, some services initially planned to operate between 1 August and 30 September 2025 will be removed from the schedule. Air India is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-booking on alternative flights or a full refund, as per their preference. Air India apologizes for the inconvenience', the airline said in a statement.
The Sun
14-07-2025
- The Sun
Fears grow Air India crash was pilot suicide as aviation expert says ‘vanishingly small' chance fuel was cut by accident
FEARS are mounting that the doomed Air India flight was a pilot suicide - as an aviation expert claimed there was a vanishingly small chance the fuel was cut by accident. Ex-pilot Terry Tozer told The Sun why it was extremely likely that the fuel switches were cut off intentionally - as a new preliminary report revealed the final moments inside the cockpit. 8 8 8 8 He explained why the plane's lock mechanism meant it was incredibly unlikely the fuel was cut off accidentally. Tozer said: "The fuel cutoff switches were actioned shortly after lift off from RUN to CUTOFF. "And that implies that somebody did that as a conscious human action, because so far as we understand, these switches have a lock mechanism." He added: "They have to be lifted in order to be moved. Otherwise they lock in position." The claims come after the preliminary report on Saturday which indicated there may have been human error during the final moments of the doomed flight. But aviation experts, like Tozer, have claimed it is almost certainly a case of deliberate action - as speculation continues to grow that the crash was caused by a suicide attempt. Two major commercial pilots' associations rejected claims that human error caused the Boeing to crash and kill 241 people on board and 19 on the ground. Tozer also explained another piece of evidence which strongly ruled out an electrical or mechanical fault. He said: "The fact that the fuel cutoff was initiated first with one engine and then the other... kind of implies a conscious lifting of a switch - moving it and lifting it." The expert said that unless somebody could prove a "weird electromechanical process" caused the switch to move without human intervention, then all evidence indicated that "somebody lifted and moved one switch followed by the other". Air India victims' families slam 'cover-up' probe as questions remain over possible engine switch confusion And he said the chance somebody could prove the switches were faulty was now "vanishingly small". He explained: "I find it hard to believe that that something you would do by accident." But he stopped short of speculating why the pilot may have chosen to do this. "And of course, that opens another whole can of worms as to why somebody would do that," he said. He also told how the report was "probably trying to avoid deliberately pointing a finger" at either of the pilots by not naming which one said "why did you cutoff" in response to the fuel cutoff switches moving. "The full report will basically come up with final conclusions," he said, adding that not naming them specifically indicated investigators were "very circumspect". He added: "But of course, if the locking mechanism didn't actually function on this aircraft, you can't entirely rule out the fact that someone inadvertently touched them and they flicked off. "Having said that, I can't see why any pilot would have their hands anywhere near the area where these switches are located." He continued: "The first officer was flying the aircraft. Whose hands would have both been on the control column? "The captain would have been monitoring what was going on. So he had his hands free." 8 8 He said that another pilot in India speculated that the pilot committed suicide - but said that this statement was "rather presumptuous because we simply don't know". The claims came as it was revealed that Air India's CEO backed the doomed fight's pilots in a leaked memo, Reuters reported. Airline CEO Campbell Wilson said the probe into the horrific crash was far from over and warned it would be unwise to jump to any conclusions. He said in the memo: "The release of the preliminary report marked the point at which we, along with the world, began receiving additional details about what took place. "Unsurprisingly, it provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions." Wilson added: "The preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over." 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 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick from Indian Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff,the report released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said. The memo also said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults, and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The claims and leaked memo also came as it was revealed the doomed flight's captain was considering quitting early after his mum's death. Flight AI171 was led by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was reportedly just months away from retirement, his neighbours revealed. He was looking to retire early and take care of his 92-year-old father Pushkaraj Sabharwal - a former Indian civil aviation official - who became alone after his wife's death. Savitri Budhania, who lives close to Captain Sabharwal's house, said she once told him that "your father is too old to be living alone". To which the pilot replied: "Just one or two more flights… then I'm going to just be with Papa." A leading aviation expert in India also told The Telegraph that Captain Sabharwal 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." Crash investigators are now said to be probing the medical records of the Sabharwal amid claims he suffered from mental health problems. 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. 8 8
CNA
14-07-2025
- General
- CNA
Air India crash: What happened in the lead up to the disaster?
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