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NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Off In 1 Second? Expert's 'Mathematical Debunking' Of Air India Crash Theory
New Delhi: Slamming some western media outlets for speculating that one of the pilots of the doomed Ahmedabad-London Air India Dreamliner moved the switches from run to cutoff - starving the engines of fuel and causing the crash - deliberately, an aviation expert has said the math does not add up. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigating the June 12 crash, in which at least 260 people were killed, including 241 on board the flight, released its preliminary report on the crash last week, and one of the key points that emerged was that the fuel switches moved within a gap of a second. Some media reports have implied this was deliberate, and aviation expert Captain Eshan Khalid strongly disagreed. The AAIB report said the aircraft achieved its maximum airspeed of 180 knots at about 08:08:42 UTC, and then the fuel cutoff switches for engines 1 and 2 transitioned from the run to the cutoff position one after another with a time gap of 1 second. The engine 1 fuel switch was moved from cutoff to run at 08:08:52 UTC, and engine 2 at 08:08:56. The report notes one pilot asked the other why he had cut off (the fuel to the engine), and he responded that he did not. Speaking to NDTV on Saturday, Mr Khalid said, "I would like to throw in a new mathematical calculation that debunks the stories that have been floating around. At the timestamp of 42 seconds, the fuel switches transitioned within one second from run to cut-off... That means within one second, someone - fastest fingers in the cockpit - put both the switches out in just 500 milliseconds. So, in one second, both of them are out." "Then the narrative is that the other pilot happened to see this and asked, 'why did you switch off or cut off the engine?' If this is the truth, then I think the proposer of this story has to now tell why that person waited for 10 seconds to reverse this switch," he explained. Even the western media reports, he said, had not made the case that both pilots were trying to kill themselves. "For the sake of argument, let's assume one pilot was. The other pilot was trying to live. Then I think he should be as fast as the first one. He put one fuel switch on at the 52-second timestamp and the other at 56. So, a four-second gap in putting (switches) on in an aircraft that is dying, and both of them know they are dead if they don't. Shouldn't this have been in milliseconds?" he pointed out. Mr Khalied then explained that he thinks an electrical signal turned off the fuel, and the switches were not moved at that point. They were probably only moved later when the pilots were trying to restart the engines to avoid the crash, which they could not prevent. The Air India Dreamliner 787-8 crashed on the premises of a medical college 32 seconds after take-off.
Canada Standard
12-07-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
"No stone should be left unturned,": Aviation safety firm's CEO on AI 171's crash report
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Martin Consulting's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark D Martin, an aviation safety expert said on Saturday that 'no stone should be left unturned,' on investigating the AI 171 crash, and urged for the preliminary report to be 'taken into the global quorum,' so that international safety regulators could also understand the reasons for the Dreamliner 787-8's crash. The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Gujarat's Ahmedabad killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. Martin said that one should wait for the full report to come out, but questioned certain aspects of the preliminary report which suggested pilot error, saying that it is 'highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during take-off would want to meddle or fiddle around with switches behind the thrust levels.' 'This will be a complex crash to investigate for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Board), Boeing, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), the Indian DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation), and the UKCAA and no stone should be left unturned with this investigation,' read a statement from the firm's CEO. 'It is imperative that this investigation also be taken into the global quorum with the including of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), CAA Canada and other Safety oversight regulators that manage and oversee the 787 aircraft operation in their jurisdiction,' the statement added. The consulting firm's CEO also said that the report suggests pilot error, saying that 'It is highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during takeoff would want to meddle or fiddle around with switches behind the thrust levels. At best, you'd focus on raising the landing gear which is located in the front panel of the cockpit, or raise the flaps.' The AAIB's Preliminary Report released on Friday said that both the engines of the aircraft were moved from 'run' to 'cutoff,' in quick succession, which resulted in the fuel supply to be cut off. The report says that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cutoff, which the other pilot denied ever doing so. '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,' the preliminary report said. '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,' the report added. As per the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) accessed by the AAIB, the engine 1's fuel cut switch transitioned from 'cutoff' to 'run' at about 8:08:52 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). On 8:08:56 UTC the Engine 2's fuel switch also went from 'cutoff' to run'. According to the report, just 13 seconds later, at 8:09:05 UTC, one of the pilot transmitted the Mayday call, which the Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) enquired about, but did not receive a reply. Shortly after, the aircraft was observed crashing outside the airport boundary and the emergency response was activated. The Airline Pilots' Association of India on Saturday also called for a 'fair, fact-based inquiry,' into the incident and rejected the 'tone and direction of the investigation' which suggested a bias towards pilot error. 'The report was leaked to media without any responsible official signature or attribution. There is lack of transparency in investigation as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team,' the association said in a statement. Notably, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol urged people not to draw conclusions based on the preliminary report. While speaking to mediapersons, the MoS 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.' (ANI)
NDTV
12-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
First, Final Plane Crash Reports Different In Most Cases: Ex Probe Body Head
With speculation reaching a fever pitch after the preliminary probe report of the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad was released in the early hours of Saturday, a former director general of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has cautioned that the initial findings of aircraft crash investigations and the final findings are different in most cases. Speaking to NDTV Profit, Group Captain Aurobindo Handa (retd), who handled over 100 such investigations himself - including the August 2020 crash of an Air India Express flight from Dubai to Kozhikode - said this probe will be very difficult for the AAIB because most of the plane has been charred, and the final report could take time. The Air India Dreamliner 787-8 had crashed into a medical college's hostel in Ahmedabad on June 12, just 32 seconds after taking off. One passenger had miraculously survived, but all the other 241 people on board and at least 20 on the ground were killed. In its preliminary probe report, the AAIB noted that both engines of the plane had shut down mid-air within seconds of take-off and both fuel cutoff switches, which control the flow of fuel to the engines, moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' position within a second of each other. The report said that in the cockpit voice recording, one pilot can be heard asking, "Why did you cut off?" and the other replies, "I did not do so". To a question on the time it will take for the final probe report and whether the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)-recommended 12-month period will be met, Group Captain Handa said the AAIB team will apply the method of elimination and check whether each system was functioning properly. "And then they will deliberate on the exact cause or maybe the probable cause of the accident. As of now, even though the report is out, it just contains the facts of what has gone on in those 30-odd seconds. It is nothing conclusive. So we shouldn't jump to the conclusion that this report is moving in this or that direction, because we have seen the initial findings and the final findings are at variance in the majority of the investigations," the former AAIB Director General said. On whether the black box, consisting of the Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder, will need to be sent to the manufacturer to extract data, Group Captain Handa said he does not think that will be a requirement. "I think all the data is available to them, from the startup to the crash. I don't think there is any requirement," he said. Investigation Details Asked about how the investigators will go about determining exactly what happened, Group Captain Handa said they will have to simulate all possible scenarios. The Kozhikode accident, he said, "was much clearer to the investigators than this because this aircraft (involved in the Ahmedabad crash) is, I would say, 90 per cent charred. So this will pose a huge challenge." In Kozhikode, a Boeing 737 had skidded off the runway and broken into two after landing, killing 21 people. On the likely timeline for the final report on the Ahmedabad crash, Mr Handa said the process is thorough and will take time. "I would request everyone through your medium that we shouldn't be expecting miracles because this aircraft crash investigation is a very long-drawn process and it's a very thorough process. We have to follow a manual which has been given by the ICAO and which has also been adopted by the AAIB," he said. The ICAO-recommended time is 12 months, he said, and it is the same for the AAIB. "They will try to hasten it and submit a report as soon as possible because the stakes are very high in this accident. But it can take time, and no one, not even the present director general of the AAIB, can tell you the exact timeline because it will depend on how things are revealed as they delve into the data," Group Captain Handa said.
India Gazette
12-07-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
"No stone should be left unturned,": Aviation safety firm's CEO on AI 171's crash report
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Martin Consulting's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark D Martin, an aviation safety expert said on Saturday that 'no stone should be left unturned,' on investigating the AI 171 crash, and urged for the preliminary report to be 'taken into the global quorum,' so that international safety regulators could also understand the reasons for the Dreamliner 787-8's crash. The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Gujarat's Ahmedabad killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. Martin said that one should wait for the full report to come out, but questioned certain aspects of the preliminary report which suggested pilot error, saying that it is 'highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during take-off would want to meddle or fiddle around with switches behind the thrust levels.' 'This will be a complex crash to investigate for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Board), Boeing, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), the Indian DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation), and the UKCAA and no stone should be left unturned with this investigation,' read a statement from the firm's CEO. 'It is imperative that this investigation also be taken into the global quorum with the including of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), CAA Canada and other Safety oversight regulators that manage and oversee the 787 aircraft operation in their jurisdiction,' the statement added. The consulting firm's CEO also said that the report suggests pilot error, saying that 'It is highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during takeoff would want to meddle or fiddle around with switches behind the thrust levels. At best, you'd focus on raising the landing gear which is located in the front panel of the cockpit, or raise the flaps.' The AAIB's Preliminary Report released on Friday said that both the engines of the aircraft were moved from 'run' to 'cutoff,' in quick succession, which resulted in the fuel supply to be cut off. The report says that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cutoff, which the other pilot denied ever doing so. '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,' the preliminary report said. '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,' the report added. As per the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) accessed by the AAIB, the engine 1's fuel cut switch transitioned from 'cutoff' to 'run' at about 8:08:52 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). On 8:08:56 UTC the Engine 2's fuel switch also went from 'cutoff' to run'. According to the report, just 13 seconds later, at 8:09:05 UTC, one of the pilot transmitted the Mayday call, which the Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) enquired about, but did not receive a reply. Shortly after, the aircraft was observed crashing outside the airport boundary and the emergency response was activated. The Airline Pilots' Association of India on Saturday also called for a 'fair, fact-based inquiry,' into the incident and rejected the 'tone and direction of the investigation' which suggested a bias towards pilot error. 'The report was leaked to media without any responsible official signature or attribution. There is lack of transparency in investigation as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team,' the association said in a statement. Notably, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol urged people not to draw conclusions based on the preliminary report. While speaking to mediapersons, the MoS 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.' (ANI)
Canada News.Net
12-07-2025
- Business
- Canada News.Net
"No stone should be left unturned,": Aviation safety firm's CEO on AI 171's crash report
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Martin Consulting's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark D Martin, an aviation safety expert said on Saturday that 'no stone should be left unturned,' on investigating the AI 171 crash, and urged for the preliminary report to be 'taken into the global quorum,' so that international safety regulators could also understand the reasons for the Dreamliner 787-8's crash. The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Gujarat's Ahmedabad killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. Martin said that one should wait for the full report to come out, but questioned certain aspects of the preliminary report which suggested pilot error, saying that it is 'highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during take-off would want to meddle or fiddle around with switches behind the thrust levels.' 'This will be a complex crash to investigate for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Board), Boeing, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), the Indian DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation), and the UKCAA and no stone should be left unturned with this investigation,' read a statement from the firm's CEO. 'It is imperative that this investigation also be taken into the global quorum with the including of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), CAA Canada and other Safety oversight regulators that manage and oversee the 787 aircraft operation in their jurisdiction,' the statement added. The consulting firm's CEO also said that the report suggests pilot error, saying that 'It is highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during takeoff would want to meddle or fiddle around with switches behind the thrust levels. At best, you'd focus on raising the landing gear which is located in the front panel of the cockpit, or raise the flaps.' The AAIB's Preliminary Report released on Friday said that both the engines of the aircraft were moved from 'run' to 'cutoff,' in quick succession, which resulted in the fuel supply to be cut off. The report says that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cutoff, which the other pilot denied ever doing so. '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,' the preliminary report said. '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,' the report added. As per the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) accessed by the AAIB, the engine 1's fuel cut switch transitioned from 'cutoff' to 'run' at about 8:08:52 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). On 8:08:56 UTC the Engine 2's fuel switch also went from 'cutoff' to run'. According to the report, just 13 seconds later, at 8:09:05 UTC, one of the pilot transmitted the Mayday call, which the Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) enquired about, but did not receive a reply. Shortly after, the aircraft was observed crashing outside the airport boundary and the emergency response was activated. The Airline Pilots' Association of India on Saturday also called for a 'fair, fact-based inquiry,' into the incident and rejected the 'tone and direction of the investigation' which suggested a bias towards pilot error. 'The report was leaked to media without any responsible official signature or attribution. There is lack of transparency in investigation as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team,' the association said in a statement. Notably, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol urged people not to draw conclusions based on the preliminary report. While speaking to mediapersons, the MoS 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.' (ANI)
