Latest news with #MAYDAYMAYDAYMAYDAY
Global News
6 days ago
- General
- Global News
Investigation into Air India plane finds fuel was cut off moments before crash
Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the 'run' to the 'cutoff' position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel, a preliminary investigation report said early Saturday. The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. The Air India flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India's worst aviation disasters. The plane was carrying 230 passengers — 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian — along with 12 crew members. Story continues below advertisement According to the report, the flight lasted around 30 seconds between takeoff and crash. It said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, 'the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another' within a second. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight. The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane's engines. The switches were flipped back into the run position, the report said, but the plane could not gain power quickly enough to stop its descent after the aircraft had begun to lose altitude. The report stated: 'One of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY'.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The switch is designed to shut fuel off to the engines. And so, if you operate it, that's what it will do. It is also part of a design to reset,' Terry Tozer, aviation expert and former airline pilot, told Sky News. Story continues below advertisement Tozer said in case of an engine failure 'one of the actions in the non-normal checklist would be to recycle these switches from on to off and back to on again, which would initiate a restart, which is exactly what happened as designed.' 'Unfortunately, the altitude was so low that the engines were only beginning to recover and they didn't have enough time,' Tozer said, adding that the engine cutoff switches being switched to off 'only seconds after liftoff, is absolutely bizarre.' The report also indicated confusion in the cockpit moments before the crash. In the flight's final moment, one pilot was 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. The preliminary report did not recommend any actions for Boeing, which said in a statement that it 'stands ready to support the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.' 'Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,' the statement added. India's civil aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, said the report's findings were preliminary and one should not 'jump into any conclusions on this.' Story continues below advertisement 'Let us wait for the final report,' Naidu told reporters. Air India, in a statement, said it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash. 'Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses,' it said. The plane's black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders — were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India. Indian authorities had also ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to prevent future incidents. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.
Daily Record
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Air India crash report reveals chilling exchange between pilots
One of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY' before plane crashed into a building killing hundreds 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. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
News18
7 days ago
- General
- News18
From Takeoff To Engine Failure: How AI-171 Ended In Disaster In Just 94 Seconds
Last Updated: The cockpit voice recorder captured confusion between the pilots, with one asking, '\'Why did you cutoff?' and the other denying the action. A preliminary report on the tragic Air India plane crash of June 12 has been released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). It mentions that the takeoff roll for the flight started at 13:37:37 IST and transitioned to airborne mode just over a minute later at 13:38:39 IST. Within seconds, it achieved a peak airspeed of 180 knots IAS, but what followed was a sudden and inexplicable loss of thrust. Both engines' fuel cutoff switches were moved from RUN to CUTOFF almost simultaneously, leading to a rapid drop in engine power. As soon as the engine lost core and fan speed (N1 and N2), the aircraft began losing altitude. The cockpit voice recorder captured confusion between the pilots, with one asking, 'Why did you cutoff?" and the other denying the action. At 13:39:05 IST, the pilot issued a distress call- 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY"-indicating the severity of the emergency. While the emergency services were dispatched at 13:44:44 IST, the situation became beyond recovery. Air India Crash: Timeline of Incidents: 13:37:37 IST—Aircraft started rolling on runway. 13:38:39 IST—Aircraft transitioned to airborne (air mode), liftoff. 13:38:42 IST—Aircraft reached maximum airspeed of 180 knots IAS. Engine 1 and 2 fuel cutoff switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF within 1 second. Engine N1 and N2 started decreasing; aircraft began losing thrust and altitude. 13:38:47 IST — Both engines' N2 dropped below idle; Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed. 13:38:52 IST — Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch moved back to RUN. 13:38:54 IST — APU inlet door began opening (APU autostart logic initiated). 13:38:56 IST — Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch moved back to RUN. Engine 1: EGT rose, but core speed recovery failed. Engine 2: Repeated ignition, but failed to maintain core acceleration. 13:39:05 IST — Pilot transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY". 13:39:11 IST — Last EAFR recording timestamp. 13:44:44 IST — Airport fire tenders dispatched and joined by local fire and rescue. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: July 12, 2025, 07:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
