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First Post
12-07-2025
- General
- First Post
Why the last conversation of Air India pilots deepens crash mystery
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India has released its findings on the Air India plane crash, bringing fresh focus to engine fuel cutoff switches. The cockpit voice recorder also raises confusion. One pilot asked, 'Why did you cut off fuel?' while the other denied doing it. So, what could have gone wrong? The question remains unanswered read more The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India has released its findings on the June 12 crash. PTI/File Photo The preliminary report on the Air India Flight 171 crash, which killed 260 people in June, has been made public. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India has released its findings on the June 12 crash, raising new concerns about the placement of the engine fuel cutoff switches. ALSO READ | Inside the cockpit during final 98 seconds of doomed Air India flight According to the report, fuel control switches on the Boeing 787's engines were briefly turned off just moments after takeoff, which stopped the fuel flow. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The cockpit voice recorder also added to the confusion in the investigation. So, how does the cockpit voice recording add to the unanswered questions surrounding the Air India crash? Let's take a look: How cockpit audio adds to the mystery of plane crash Seconds after take-off, both fuel-control switches on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner suddenly shifted to the 'cut-off' setting. This action cut off fuel to the engines and led to a complete loss of power. Normally, the switches are moved to 'cut-off' only after a plane has landed. Thrust Lever Quadrant & Fuel Control Switch of the doomed Air India plane The cockpit voice recorder picked up one pilot asking the other why he 'did the cut-off', while the other denied doing so. The report does not say whether it was the captain or the first officer who spoke, or which of them made the 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday' distress call before the crash. At the time, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft, and the captain was monitoring. The switches were later moved back to their correct position for flight, which started the automatic engine relight system. When the aircraft hit the ground, one engine had started to regain thrust while the other had restarted but had not yet recovered full power. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The switches are designed to prevent unintentional use. They need to be lifted before being flipped, a safety design used since the 1950s, BBC reported. They are built to strict standards and are known for being very reliable. A Canada-based air crash expert told BBC, 'It would be almost impossible to pull both switches with a single movement of one hand, and this makes accidental deployment unlikely.' Some experts told Reuters that it is unlikely the switches could have been moved by mistake. 'If they were moved because of a pilot, why?' asked Anthony Brickhouse, a US aviation safety expert. The AAIB report said that the switches were flipped a second apart. US aviation expert John Nance told Reuters that's about how long it would take to move one switch, then the other. He added that switching them off mid-flight is highly unusual, especially just after take-off. Doing so causes the engines to shut down almost immediately. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In normal operations, the switches are used to shut off engines at the airport gate or during certain emergencies, such as a fire. The report found no sign of any such emergency on board. At the crash site, both switches were found in the 'run' position, and evidence showed the engines had begun to restart before the low-altitude crash, the report said. It added that all maintenance directives and technical bulletins had been followed for the aircraft and its engines. As the Dreamliner lost height, it hit several trees and an incinerator chimney before crashing into a building. The accident killed at least 260 people, including 19 people on the ground. PTI/File Photo Meanwhile, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has urged people not to jump to conclusions based on the report. He said, 'The AAIB has brought out a preliminary report. This is not the final report. Until the final report comes out, we should not arrive at any conclusion. AAIB is an autonomous authority, and the ministry does not interfere in their work.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD '…It is not ideal to comment on its report just yet, as the investigation into the crash is ongoing. The black box is still being probed,' he added. 'Presumes guilt': What Pilots association said on the crash report Soon after the release of the preliminary findings, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) said on Saturday that the investigation appeared to be proceeding with the assumption that the pilots were at fault. ALPA chief Sam Thomas said in a statement on Saturday, July 12, 'The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. We categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair, fact-based inquiry.' The association also pointed out that 'suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations,' Hindustan Times reported. The association reiterated its request to be allowed to take part in the investigation 'even in the capacity of observers so as to provide the requisite transparency.' The Air India crash report The initial report has found that fuel to both engines of Air India flight AI171 was cut off nearly at the same time, causing the aircraft to crash shortly after take-off. The 15-page report said that in the cockpit voice recording, one pilot asked the other why the fuel had been cut. The second pilot denied doing so. Investigators are now working to determine whether this was caused by human error, a technical fault, or some other malfunction. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
International Business Times
12-07-2025
- General
- International Business Times
Air India Pilots Made Fatal Error as Probe Reveals Plane's Fuel Supply Was Cut Off Moments Before It Crashed Killing More Than 270 People
A preliminary report on last month's Air India crash, which killed 241 people, with a sole survivor miraculously walking away, found that the aircraft's engine fuel cutoff switch was flipped just three seconds after takeoff. The pilots of the plane were heard questioning one another about whether the plane's fuel supply had been turned off just moments before the aircraft crashed, according to the report. the Boeing 787 Dreamliner likely lost power when the fuel cutoff switches were flipped almost simultaneously, cutting off fuel to the engines. This meant the aircraft began losing thrust and started sinking moments after taking off from Ahmedabad for London, according to Indian accident investigators. Pilots Made Major Blunder It is unclear how or why the switch was flipped, cutting off fuel to the engines and causing the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner to rapidly lose thrust and crash on June 12. "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. The pilots of Air India Flight 171 may have played a role in the tragic crash, as the fuel cutoff switch is not something that can be easily flipped by mistake, according to The US Sun. These switches are typically used to shut down both engines simultaneously — either after arriving at the airport gate or in emergency situations that demand an immediate shutdown. However, the investigation report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found no evidence of any emergency prior to the crash that would justify using the fuel cutoff. The crash also claimed the lives of 19 additional people on the ground when the aircraft crashed into a medical college in Ahmedabad, India. Cockpit Audio Reveals Everything The report cited cockpit audio in which one pilot questioned the other about why the fuel had been shut off. The other pilot responded, claiming he hadn't done it. Moments later, one of the pilots issued a panicked mayday call before the aircraft went down, though the report did not identify which pilot made the distress call. Investigators at the crash site found that the fuel cutoff switches were in the "run" position, suggesting that both engines restarted shortly before the impact. The experienced flight crew—a captain and a first officer—had a combined total of 19,000 hours of flight experience. U.S. aviation expert Anthony Brickhouse said that the ongoing investigation will likely focus on why the switches moved in a manner that doesn't align with standard flight operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots? And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" Brickhouse said. Both black boxes from the ill-fated flight — containing the cockpit voice recordings and flight data — were recovered from the debris a few days after the accident. Investigators will now analyze the data to uncover any additional factors that may have led to the crash. British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only person to survive the Air India tragedy, which also claimed the life of one of his brothers, who had been seated just a few rows away. The 40-year-old, bruised and shaken, was seen limping away from the wreckage, still holding onto his boarding pass. "When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive," he said from his hospital bed the day after the tragedy.
The Advertiser
12-07-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Preliminary report into Air India plane crash released
A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people shows that three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cut-off switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. It did not identify which 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. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9000 on the 787. The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cut-off position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?" he asked. "And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" US aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. "You can't bump them and they move," he said. Flipping to cut-off almost immediately cuts 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. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cut-off. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers" India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment. A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people shows that three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cut-off switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. It did not identify which 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. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9000 on the 787. The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cut-off position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?" he asked. "And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" US aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. "You can't bump them and they move," he said. Flipping to cut-off almost immediately cuts 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. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cut-off. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers" India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment. A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people shows that three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cut-off switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. It did not identify which 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. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9000 on the 787. The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cut-off position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?" he asked. "And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" US aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. "You can't bump them and they move," he said. Flipping to cut-off almost immediately cuts 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. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cut-off. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers" India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment. A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people shows that three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cut-off switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. It did not identify which 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. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9000 on the 787. The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cut-off position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?" he asked. "And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" US aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. "You can't bump them and they move," he said. Flipping to cut-off almost immediately cuts 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. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cut-off. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers" India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Sky News AU
11-07-2025
- General
- Sky News AU
Preliminary reports into horror Air India flight finds plane's engines were starved of fuel just three seconds after take off leading to bloodbath
A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people last month showed three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing (BA.N) 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. It did not identify which 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. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9,000 on the 787. The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cutoff position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?" he asked. "And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE (GE.N) GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers" India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Last month, Air India was warned for breaching safety rules by the country's aviation regulator before it made global headlines for the mass casualty disaster, that killed everyone onboard except one man. Flight AI171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London's Gatwick Airport. According to government documents, planes flew despite being overdue checks on emergency equipment and for being slow to address the issue. -Reuters
RTHK
11-07-2025
- General
- RTHK
'Fuel to Air India jet engines cut off before crash'
'Fuel to Air India jet engines cut off before crash' One pilot had asked the other why he had cut off fuel to the plane's engines, though he denied doing so. File photo: Reuters A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people last month showed three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators. One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said. It did not identify which 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. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9,000 on the 787. The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cutoff position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations. "Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?" he asked. "And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?" Another expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. "You can't bump them and they move," he said. Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts 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. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers" India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The agency, an office under India's civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade. The plane's two black boxes, both combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India. Black boxes provide crucial data such as altitude, airspeed and final pilot conversations which help in narrowing down possible causes of the crash. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report due 30 days after the accident according to international rules, and a final report expected within a year. Air India has been under intense scrutiny since the crash. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it plans to investigate its budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported the carrier did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance. India's aviation watchdog has also warned Air India for breaching rules for flying three Airbus planes with overdue checks on escape slides and in June warned it about "serious violations" of pilot duty timings. (Reuters)
