‘Human hand' HAD to be involved in Air India crash disaster, pilot says…as he reveals billions-to-one odds of tech fault

The Irish Sun

4 days ago

AN EXPLOSIVE new theory from a top aviation expert has ignited fears that the devastating Air India crash may not have been an accident - but the result of a human act inside the cockpit.
Captain Steve Scheibner suggested there was a "human hand" behind the tragedy of fight AI 171 - and insisted the
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The plane seconds before disaster
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Officials inspect the remains of the Air India passenger plane at the crash site in Ahmedabad
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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a doctors' hostel
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Captain Steve Scheibner believes the Air India crash may have been a result of a human act inside the cockpit, not an accident
Credit: Piers Morgan Uncensored
Scheibner, a seasoned pilot and respected aviation analyst, told Piers Morgan Uncensored: "I don't think Boeing has fault in this one.
"My take on it is that the aeroplane was operating exactly the way it was designed, I don't think there was anything wrong with this particular aircraft."
The
It killed 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground in one of the worst disasters in aviation history,
More on the air india crash
But while the early narrative leaned toward tragic malfunction, Scheibner was blunt: "When you place both fuel cutoff switches to cut off, that will fuel-starve the engines and they'll both flame out."
And
"But I really firmly believe that there had to be a human hand on both of those for them to go to cut off."
His comments follow a
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They were turned back to "RUN" seconds before the crash, but it was too late.
Cockpit audio captured one pilot asking: 'Why did you cut off?' and the other replying, 'I didn't.'
Fuel switch-off on doomed Air India flight looks to be 'conscious human action', former pilot says
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A cockpit view of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft shows the fuel switch; Annotations by The Sun Graphics
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An image showing how the fuel cut off switches have to be deliberately 'unlocked' before being moved
Neither crew member was identified in the report, which also refrained from stating whether the switches were moved by mistake or by deliberate action.
"There is no universe where there's any procedure ever in the history of commercial flight where you place both fuel control switches to cut off, leave them there for 10 seconds, right after rotate," Scheibner said, referencing the moment of liftoff.
'Two and a half billion to one'
The aviation expert said the offs of a dual engine flameout on a Boeing 787 seconds after takeoff were "two and a half billion to one".
"Everything just seems unbelievable," he added.
Scheibner went on to explain: "There is no universe where there's any procedure ever in the history of commercial flight where you place both fuel control switches to cut off, leave them there for 10 seconds, right after, rotate, there is just not a scenario that that fits into.
"And this according to the report, that's what happened."
Key findings of the report:
Dual engine shutdown
- fuel cutoff switches moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF'
Confusion between pilots
- cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked 'why did you cutoff', the other replied 'I didn't'
RAT deployed
- as seen in CCTV footage before the crash
Engine relight attempted
- fuel switches were found returned to the "RUN" at crash site
32 seconds -
the time the
aircraft was airborne before it crashed
Thrust levers mismatch
- Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged
Fuel test pass
- fuel was clean without any contamination
Normal take-off set-up
- Flaps and landing gear correctly configured
No bird activity
- clear skies, good visibility, light winds
Pilot credentials clear
- both medically fit and rested
No sabotage detected
- although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India
Aircraft loading -
the flight was within weight and balance limits
Captain Scheibner isn't the only one raising red flags.
Ex-pilot and aviation commentator Terry Tozer also weighed in this week, calling the
He told The Sun: "The fuel cutoff switches were actioned shortly after lift off from RUN to CUTOFF.
"That implies that somebody did that as a conscious human action, because so far as we understand, these switches have a lock mechanism."
"They have to be lifted in order to be moved," he explained.
"Otherwise they lock in position."
Tozer flatly dismissed the idea of accidental flicking, saying: "I can't see why any pilot would have their hands anywhere near the area where these switches are located."
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Vishwash Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India crash, poses for the first time since the disaster
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Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the ground outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
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Landing gear of the Air India plane crashed directly on the BJ Medical College UG hostel mess
Credit: Getty
Tragic profile emerges
The growing suspicion around the crash deepens with revelations about
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a respected 56-year-old veteran, was reportedly
Neighbours say he was planning to leave flying altogether to care for his 92-year-old father.
'Just one or two more flights… then I'm going to just be with Papa,' he reportedly told a friend.
But now, Captain Sabharwal's mental health is under scrutiny.
Aviation sources in India told The Telegraph he had battled depression and taken time off in the years before the crash.
Though he passed a Class I medical exam in September 2024, investigators are now combing through his medical records for clues.
Leading Indian aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan said: 'I have heard from several Air India pilots who told me he had some depression and mental health issues. He had taken time off from flying in the last three to four years.'
Families of the victims who tragically died in the crash have
They have dubbed the investigation "biased" and said it only appears to "blame the dead pilots".
The Airline Pilots' Association of India (APAI) rejected the 'tone and direction' of the inquiry and said it came without sufficient evidence.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also urged caution, warning staff in a leaked memo that the probe was far from over.
'The preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations,' he wrote, adding that 'it provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions.'
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Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot in the doomed Air India flight
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Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight
No fault found with aircraft
The report confirmed that there were no mechanical issues, no bird strikes, and no fuel contamination.
The aircraft's configuration for takeoff was normal, and both pilots were medically cleared and well-rested.
It also highlighted that Boeing's fuel control switches — which require lifting and unlocking before moving — were working as designed.
The FAA had issued a non-binding notice in 2018 about switch locking mechanisms on similar aircraft, but no airworthiness directive followed, and Air India admitted it had not carried out the suggested inspections.
Still, both Scheibner and Tozer agree: it's extraordinarily unlikely this was a case of pure human error.
'We do know that the switches were placed to cut off,' said Scheibner.
'And 10 seconds later they were placed back to run… if one did it, the other probably was the one that undid it.'
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Tail of the doomed Air India flight