Air India crash report analysis: Beyond popular conspiracy theories, there are untold truths

Indian Express

a day ago

On July 12, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released the preliminary report (Air India crash report) on the tragic crash of Air India's AI-171 at Ahmedabad on June 12. As per international rules, a preliminary report should be submitted within 30 days of the accident, with the final report coming within a year. This report, involving a Boeing-787-8 Dreamliner, instead of providing answers, raises more questions. Amazingly, details of this report were published on July 11, about 20 hours prior to its release in India by the USA's Wall Street Journal.
The Boeing 787-8 is equipped with two Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR); one is housed in the forward section of the aircraft, the other in its tail section. The latter EAFR, recovered from the roof of a building on June 13, was found to be substantially damaged. Hence, the AAIB could download flight data and voice recordings from the forward-located EAFR (recovered on June 16), as well as some limited data from the memory card of the tail-section EAFR.
The fuel to the Dreamliner's engines is controlled by two mechanisms — the thrusters and the fuel cutoff switches. In simple terms, the thruster acts like accelerator pedals, and increases/decreases the amount of fuel being provided to the engines. The fuel switches, located below the thrusters, cut the fuel supply to engines when turned off, and are primarily meant for turning off the fuel supply when an aircraft is landing in an emergency situation. Importantly, these switches are spring-loaded, and to change its position from RUN to CUTOFF or vice-versa, the pilot has to first pull the switch upwards, and then move it from one position to the other.
As per the report, which cites EAFR data, the aircraft:
• After reaching requisite speed, started to lift-off at 08:08:35 UTC, and its air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode at 08:08:39 UTC.
• It achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 knots at about 08:08:42 UTC.
• At 08:08:52 UTC, the fuel cutoff switch of Engine-1 transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position, followed by same for Engine-2 after 01 second. Starved of fuel, both engines began to lose power.
• This loss of power led to automatic deployment of the APU/Ramjet Air Turbine between 08:08:47 and 08:08:54 UTC (this provides emergency electrical power for critical functions).
• The Cockpit Voice Recorder shows one of the pilots asking the other why did he cutoff, with the other pilot responding that he did not do so.
• At 08:08:56 UTC, the fuel cutoff switches transitioned back from CUTOFF to RUN, after which the aircraft's automated system attempted re-starting the engines.
• Engine-1's deceleration stopped and it's thrust started to recover, but Engine-2's core speed deceleration couldn't be stopped in spite of repeated fuel introductions.
• One of the pilots transmitted a 'MAYDAY' call at 08:09:05 UTC; the EAFR recording stopped at 08:09:11 UTC.
• At the crash site, both fuel Cutoff switches were found in 'RUN' position, with indications that re-lighting of both engines was attempted before the low-altitude crash.
• The report concludes that 'all applicable airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins were complied [with] on the aircraft as well as engines', and no mechanical/maintenance faults/lapses were found.
The report does not say anything about how or why the fuel switches flipped from RUN to CUTOFF position during the flight, nor does it clarify which pilot asked 'why did you cutoff?' and which pilot responded that he did not. Besides, there is no comment as yet from other agencies/firms involved in the crash investigation – the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or Boeing. The NTSB has merely thanked the AAIB while noting that there were no recommended actions in the report aimed at operators of Boeing 787 airliners or its GE (GEnx) engines.
In a country where most dire events tend to be ascribed to some 'hand', foreign or internal, and outlandish/scurrilous reports are put out for bettering media TRPs, the AAIB report's ambiguity has spawned a number of conspiracy theories. One theory attributes the crash to deliberate, suicidal pilot action. On July 13, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association stated, '…deeply disturbed by speculative narratives, … particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide. There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage… to casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession.' Another postulates that one of the pilots inadvertently flipped the fuel cutoff switches — which leads to a question: Since switches need to be pulled up for a resetting, a pilot perhaps could have absent-mindedly flipped one switch. But both? Another outlandish one talks of a 'cyber/electronic warfare vehicle' of China/commercial competitor of Boeing, near Ahmedabad airport, jamming the Dreamliner's 'fly-by-wire' system and causing it to crash. The list goes on.
All this, in spite of simpler explanations. On Jan 17, 2019, both engines of a Boeing 787-8 of All-Nippon Airways flight NH-985 had similarly shut down after a fuel cutoff just as it touched down; it continued to roll and, on stopping, had to be towed. Earlier, the FAA's Special Airworthiness Bulletin (SAIB) of December 17, 2018, had flagged potential disengagement of the fuel cutoff switch in Boeing aircraft, including the 787-8, and recommended their inspection to ensure they didn't move accidentally. According to the AAIB report, Air India confirmed it had not carried out the FAA's suggested inspections, as the same weren't mandatory. On July 14, however, India's DGCA ordered all Indian airlines operating the Boeing 787 and 737 planes to inspect these switches by July 21, adding that several international operators had acted on the FAA's advisory.
Unfortunately, no one wants to wait for the exhaustive, conclusive final report. The remarks of Air India CEO Campbell Wilson merit consideration: The preliminary report has 'triggered a new round of speculation in the media … identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over.'
The writer is a retired Brigadier from the Indian Army