Latest news with #Kunder
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
AI 171 crash: Now, US NTSB terms western media reports ‘speculative' as fresh leaks continue unabated
NEW DELHI: Following a barrage of reports in the western media that have squarely blames AI 171 captain for switching off fuel supply to the doomed Air India Dreamliner leading to its June 12 crash, the American National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has now termed those articles 'premature and speculative. ' In a statement, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said: 'Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB's public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB.' The appeal comes after AAIB on Thursday called out 'irresponsible' drawing of 'conclusions through selective and unverified reporting.' The bureau had issued this statement after The WSJ in its latest report on the issue said, '…captain turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's two engines' accidentally or deliberately. But almost everyday reports in the western media come out with reports that have alleged details of the crash which the Indian authorities like AAIB are yet to deny. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo The preliminary report had identified that first officer Clive Kunder was the pilot flying the doomed AI 171 while Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the pilot monitoring. The confusion partially stems from AAIB's prelim report which did not contain any cockpit voice recorder (transcript) and a solitary indirect quote from the same. 'One of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,' says the AAIB report without identifying which pilot said what. An Italian newspaper has now cited the CVR with time stamps. A translation of this latest in a series of reports coming from the west amid radio silence from authorities in India reads: 'At 13:38:39, the aircraft lifts off. At 13:38:42, the engines are starved of fuel while the plane is climbing at 180 knots (333 km/h). At 13:38:44, a microphone attached to the first officer's seat records him saying in shock: 'Why did you shut off the engines?' One second later, the captain's microphone picks up a vague: 'I didn't do it.' Kunder isn't convinced and repeats the question for another six seconds. While Kunder is piloting the jet, the captain is supposed to be monitoring. Kunder's hands were on the yoke and his mind focused on airspeed, heading, and pitch. Even if he didn't see it, he almost certainly knew the captain had moved the switches: the sound of the levers being flipped down is unmistakable, confirmed by multiple pilots.' TOI has not been able independently verify whether the contents of this Italian media report are correct or not. Pilots and aviation experts in India have blamed the AAIB report for raising more questions than it answers and they have also slammed the reports in the western media.
International Business Times
7 days ago
- International Business Times
Air India Captain Handed Plane's Control to First Officer? Conversation Between Pilots Revealed in 'Black Box Recording' Adding Fuel to Wild Theory
The captain of Air India Flight 171, which crashed in Ahmedabad last month claiming 241 lives, handed control of the aircraft to the first officer before takeoff, sources have claimed citing information retrieved from the black boxes. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal told First Officer Clive Kunder, "The plane is in your hands," two Western sources familiar with the cockpit recordings told Corriere della Sera. While the sources noted that it is not uncommon for a first officer to handle takeoff, three pilots consulted by the outlet said this would have allowed the captain to operate "undisturbed." This comes amid a preliminary investigation report that the plane's fuel supply was cut off. Flight Was Under First Officer's Control Captain Sumeet Sabharwal X U.S. pilots who reviewed the newly released preliminary report on the crash believe that Kunder would have been under immense pressure while flying the aircraft at the time. The plane took off at 1:38:39 p.m. and remained in the air for only about 30 seconds before losing engine power and crashing into a residential building, killing 19 people on the ground and all but one passenger onboard. The preliminary report revealed that just before the crash, two fuel control switches were changed from 'Run' to 'Cutoff,' cutting off the engines' fuel supply. There was visible confusion in the cockpit, followed by frantic efforts to switch the controls back. Clive Kunder X According to Corriere della Sera, their sources said Kunder could be heard asking Sabharwal, "Why did you shut off the engines?" Another microphone reportedly captured a vague denial in response: "I didn't do it." The outlet added that Kunder, appearing "unconvinced", repeated the question multiple times within a span of six seconds. A separate source, briefed on the preliminary assessment by U.S. investigators, told Reuters that Kunder specifically questioned Sabharwal about switching the fuel controls to 'Cutoff,' which led to the engines being deprived of fuel. A massive plume of smoke seen billowing from the crash site near the Ahmedabad international airport after teh Air India Flight 171 crashed X Based on the cockpit voice recordings, officials believe the evidence points to the captain as the one who cut off the engines' fuel supply. The report, released by India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau, did not suggest whether the action was intentional or accidental. India's aviation minister has urged the public to avoid speculation, noting that a full report will be issued next year. Speculation Over Captain's Role The report comes after investigators looked into the pilots' health records, with claims that Sabharwal had a history of depression and mental health concerns. Notably, the switches involved had a locking mechanism that required pilots to lift them before moving —accidentally turning the off is impossible, as they were not simple push buttons. The Air India Flight 171 seen after the deadly crash moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad X The investigation into the devastating crash has now turned its focus to Sabharwal's behavior. Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a leading aviation safety expert in India, revealed that multiple Air India pilots had allegedly confirmed that Sabharwal, an experienced pilot, had suffered from poor mental health. The Air India jet seen exploding into a fireball moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport X In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Ranganathan stated, "He had taken time off from flying in the last three to four years. He had taken medical leave for that." It is also reported that Sabharwal had been on bereavement leave after his mother's death. However, according to Ranganathan, he had been "medically cleared" by Air India before the deadly crash last month. A former colleague of Sabharwal in Mumbai described him as a "thorough gentleman" and shared with the publication that Sabharwal had been thinking about taking early retirement within the next couple of years to care for his 90-year-old father. Sumeet Sabharwal X Meanwhile, co-pilot Clive Kunder, aged 28, had logged over 3,400 flying hours during his relatively brief career. The Telegraph reported that while Air India declined to issue an official statement, a representative from its parent company, Tata Group, told the outlet that Sabharwal had not taken any medical leave. The preliminary investigation report also failed to uncover any major findings. Officials said that both pilots had successfully passed the Class I medical examination within the past two years, a test that assesses their mental and physical fitness. Sumeet Sabharwal X According to the report, both pilots had received sufficient rest prior to the flight and passed the breath analyzer test, confirming they were 'fit to operate.' The aircraft was not carrying any hazardous materials, and its weight was within the permissible range. Fuel samples taken from the aircraft's tanks were tested and found to be of acceptable quality, and there was no notable bird activity detected along the flight path.
The Advertiser
7 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
Too soon to decide India crash cause, investigators say
India's aircraft accident investigation body says it's too early to reach any definite conclusions on what led to the deadly Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people. "We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) chief GVG Yugandhar said, adding the investigation is still not complete. The AAIB statement comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the flight indicated the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence. The AAIB's preliminary report on the crash on Saturday said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and "the other pilot responded that he did not do so". It did not identify who made those remarks. The two pilots in the flight deck were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, according to the Journal report. The newspaper did not say if there was any evidence showing Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited. But it quoted US pilots who have read the Indian authorities' report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner's controls at that stage of the flight. The AAIB's preliminary report said the fuel switches had switched from "run" to "cutoff" a second apart just after takeoff. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 200 metres, the jet started to sink. The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to "run", and the plane automatically tried restarting the engines, the report said. But it was too low and too slow to be able to recover, aviation safety expert John Nance told Reuters. The plane clipped some trees and a chimney before crashing in a fireball into a building on a nearby medical college campus, the report said, killing 19 people on the ground and 241 of the 242 on board the 787. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India chief Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The AAIB's preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed, and four sources with knowledge of the matter said. The US National Transportation Safety Board has been assisting with the Air India investigation and its chair Jennifer Homendy has been fully briefed on all aspects, a board spokesperson said. "The safety of international air travel depends on learning as much as we can from these rare events so that industry and regulators can improve aviation safety," Homendy said in a statement. "And if there are no immediate safety issues discovered, we need to know that as well." India's aircraft accident investigation body says it's too early to reach any definite conclusions on what led to the deadly Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people. "We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) chief GVG Yugandhar said, adding the investigation is still not complete. The AAIB statement comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the flight indicated the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence. The AAIB's preliminary report on the crash on Saturday said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and "the other pilot responded that he did not do so". It did not identify who made those remarks. The two pilots in the flight deck were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, according to the Journal report. The newspaper did not say if there was any evidence showing Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited. But it quoted US pilots who have read the Indian authorities' report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner's controls at that stage of the flight. The AAIB's preliminary report said the fuel switches had switched from "run" to "cutoff" a second apart just after takeoff. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 200 metres, the jet started to sink. The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to "run", and the plane automatically tried restarting the engines, the report said. But it was too low and too slow to be able to recover, aviation safety expert John Nance told Reuters. The plane clipped some trees and a chimney before crashing in a fireball into a building on a nearby medical college campus, the report said, killing 19 people on the ground and 241 of the 242 on board the 787. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India chief Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The AAIB's preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed, and four sources with knowledge of the matter said. The US National Transportation Safety Board has been assisting with the Air India investigation and its chair Jennifer Homendy has been fully briefed on all aspects, a board spokesperson said. "The safety of international air travel depends on learning as much as we can from these rare events so that industry and regulators can improve aviation safety," Homendy said in a statement. "And if there are no immediate safety issues discovered, we need to know that as well." India's aircraft accident investigation body says it's too early to reach any definite conclusions on what led to the deadly Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people. "We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) chief GVG Yugandhar said, adding the investigation is still not complete. The AAIB statement comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the flight indicated the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence. The AAIB's preliminary report on the crash on Saturday said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and "the other pilot responded that he did not do so". It did not identify who made those remarks. The two pilots in the flight deck were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, according to the Journal report. The newspaper did not say if there was any evidence showing Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited. But it quoted US pilots who have read the Indian authorities' report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner's controls at that stage of the flight. The AAIB's preliminary report said the fuel switches had switched from "run" to "cutoff" a second apart just after takeoff. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 200 metres, the jet started to sink. The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to "run", and the plane automatically tried restarting the engines, the report said. But it was too low and too slow to be able to recover, aviation safety expert John Nance told Reuters. The plane clipped some trees and a chimney before crashing in a fireball into a building on a nearby medical college campus, the report said, killing 19 people on the ground and 241 of the 242 on board the 787. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India chief Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The AAIB's preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed, and four sources with knowledge of the matter said. The US National Transportation Safety Board has been assisting with the Air India investigation and its chair Jennifer Homendy has been fully briefed on all aspects, a board spokesperson said. "The safety of international air travel depends on learning as much as we can from these rare events so that industry and regulators can improve aviation safety," Homendy said in a statement. "And if there are no immediate safety issues discovered, we need to know that as well." India's aircraft accident investigation body says it's too early to reach any definite conclusions on what led to the deadly Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people. "We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) chief GVG Yugandhar said, adding the investigation is still not complete. The AAIB statement comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the flight indicated the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence. The AAIB's preliminary report on the crash on Saturday said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and "the other pilot responded that he did not do so". It did not identify who made those remarks. The two pilots in the flight deck were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, according to the Journal report. The newspaper did not say if there was any evidence showing Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited. But it quoted US pilots who have read the Indian authorities' report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner's controls at that stage of the flight. The AAIB's preliminary report said the fuel switches had switched from "run" to "cutoff" a second apart just after takeoff. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 200 metres, the jet started to sink. The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to "run", and the plane automatically tried restarting the engines, the report said. But it was too low and too slow to be able to recover, aviation safety expert John Nance told Reuters. The plane clipped some trees and a chimney before crashing in a fireball into a building on a nearby medical college campus, the report said, killing 19 people on the ground and 241 of the 242 on board the 787. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India chief Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The AAIB's preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed, and four sources with knowledge of the matter said. The US National Transportation Safety Board has been assisting with the Air India investigation and its chair Jennifer Homendy has been fully briefed on all aspects, a board spokesperson said. "The safety of international air travel depends on learning as much as we can from these rare events so that industry and regulators can improve aviation safety," Homendy said in a statement. "And if there are no immediate safety issues discovered, we need to know that as well."
The Star
18-07-2025
- General
- The Star
Air India probe focuses on pilots
A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 260 people. A preliminary report into the crash released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and 'the other pilot responded that he did not do so.' Investigators did not identify which remarks were made by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and which by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. Kunder, who was flying the plane, asked Sabharwal why he moved the fuel switches to the 'cutoff' position seconds after lifting off the runway, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Journal did not say if there was any evidence that Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited. But it quoted US pilots who have read the Indian authorities' report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the plane's controls at that stage of the flight. India's AAIB, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India and unions representing Indian pilots did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the Wall Street Journal report. Boeing declined to comment. The AAIB's preliminary report said the fuel switches had switched from run to cutoff a second apart just after takeoff, but it did not say how they were flipped. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, CCTV footage showed a backup energy source had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 650 feet, started to sink. The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to run, and the airplane automatically tried restarting the engines, the report said. But the plane was too low and too slow to be able to recover, aviation safety expert John Nance told Reuters. The plane clipped some trees and a chimney before crashing in a fireball into a building on a nearby medical college campus, killing 19 on the ground and 241 of the 242 on board the 787. In an internal memo, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The AAIB's preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe. The circumstantial evidence increasingly indicates that a crew member flipped the engine fuel switches, Nance said, given there was 'no other rational explanation' that was consistent with the information released to date. Nonetheless, investigators 'still have to dig into all the factors' and rule out other factors, he said. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, and under international rules, a final report is expected within a year. The Air India crash has rekindled debate over adding flight deck cameras, known as cockpit image recorders, on airliners. Air India has faced additional scrutiny on other fronts after 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. — Reuters
Irish Independent
18-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Air India cockpit audio reportedly reveals younger co-pilot confronting captain over fuel switches
Investigators search for evidence at the Air India crash site last month in Ahmedabad. Photo: Getty First officer Clive Kunder had the controls of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for take-off and at the time of the crash moments later outside Ahmedabad airport, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. Citing sources in the investigation, the report said it was Mr Kunder who asked flight captain Sumeet Sabharwal why he had flipped the switches, starving the engines of fuel. It represents a potentially important new detail, emerging several days after a preliminary official report in the crash revealed only that the brief interaction had taken place, without naming who said what or quoting them directly. Air India Flight 171 crashed into a medical college less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad in western India. It was on its way to Gatwick Airport – 241 people on board were killed along with another 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived the crash. The preliminary report, issued a month after the crash in line with international regulations, has sparked controversy with a pilots' association accusing it of trying to place the blame on Mr Sabharwal and Mr Kunder without conclusive evidence. The Federation of Indian Pilots said the 15-page report released lacks comprehensive data and appears to rely selectively on paraphrased cockpit voice recordings to suggest pilot error and question the professional competence and integrity of the flight crew. (© The Independent) Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news
