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Air India crash: The Wall Street Journal reported that a senior pilot cut off fuel supply of Boeing 787 plane involved in crash
The crash on June 12 was the first fatal disaster involving a Boeing 787, killing a total of 260 people — all but one of the 242 people on board the aircraft died — when the plane ploughed into a medical college hostel.
(PTI Image)
Air India Crash: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday criticised foreign media outlets for “irresponsible” reporting on the Air India flight crash following the release of the initial report, and appealed to them to wait until the investigation is complete.
In a statement, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), a wing of the Civil Aviation Ministry, said some international media outlets are accused of drawing premature conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. “Such actions are deemed irresponsible while the investigation is still ongoing,” it said.
The AAIB said it is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by families of victims. Amid speculations in various quarters about the reasons for the fatal crash, the AAIB said it is too early to reach to any definitive conclusions.
Air India Crash: FAA Flagged Fuel Control Switch Issue 7 Years Ago, DGCA Now Orders Inspection
The crash on June 12 was the first fatal disaster involving a Boeing 787, killing a total of 260 people — all but one of the 242 people on board the aircraft died — when the plane ploughed into a medical college hostel.
What AAIB Report Said?
Both switches feeding fuel to the two engines of Air India flight 171 were cut off, followed by pilot confusion before the plane crashed in Ahmedabad, seconds after taking off, the first investigation report into the crash has revealed. It said that one pilot asked why he had shut off the fuel, and the other responded he didn’t do it.
“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 report said.
The preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday recommended no action for now for the operators of Boeing 787-8 planes. At the time the aircraft took off, the co-pilot was flying the plane, while the captain was monitoring.
As per the report, the engines N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. “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,” it said.
The Pilot In Command (PIC) had more than 15,638 hours of flying experience while the first officer had over 3,403 hours of flying experience.
Foreign Media Coverage Of Air India Crash
After the report went public, several foreign media outlets are blaming the Air India pilots for the crash that killed 260 people on June 12.
A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report claimed that a senior pilot may have accidentally cut off fuel supply to both engines, leading to the crash. Another report by the WSJ now puts the blame on the senior pilot. It says the cockpit recording between the two pilots indicates that the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines was cut by the captain of the flight.
What Air India Said On Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson has said AAIB’s preliminary report on the Ahmedabad plane crash last month found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed.
The Air India chief said the preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations and urged everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over.
In a message to Air India staff last week, Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed. “There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the takeoff roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status,” he said.
Further, Wilson said out of an abundance of caution and under the oversight of regulator DGCA, every Boeing 787 aircraft operating in our fleet was checked within days of the accident and all were found fit for service.
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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