Air India crew 'absolutely' cause of horror crash that killed 260, claims expert
Fresh pieces of evidence about the tragic Air India crash that killed 241 passengers has led to an aviation expert claiming the crew were "absolutely" to blame for the air disaster.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the tragedy which suggested the fuel switches to the engine were reportedly cut off prior to the tragic air disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area just minutes after it took off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing another 19 people on the ground. Questions have been raised into the finding that fuel cutoff switches were supposedly flipped just as the plane was believed to have lost power.
One of India's key aviation experts, Captain Mohan Ranganthan, has since suggested this potential cause could have been deliberate. Ranganthan, speaking to NDTV, said: "It has to be done manually, it cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure."
These fuel switches reportedly have to be operated by pulling each lever upwards to unlock them before being flipped. These switches also have a protective guard bracket to protect them from accidental nudges or bumps.
Ranganthan added: "The fuel selectors they aren't the sliding type they are always in a slot. They are to pull them out or move them up or down, so the question of them moving inadvertently out of off position doesn't happen. It's a case of deliberate manual selection."
He then claimed "nothing else" could have caused that possible explanation, adding: "It had to be deliberately done." The captain continued his claims after being asked whether he thought one of the pilots could have "deliberately" turned the fuel switches off while being aware it could have led to a crash.
Ranganthan responded and said: "Absolutely." The captain then claimed they were looking at the possibility the disaster was a "pilot-induced crash".
This preliminary report also revealed the chilling conversation had in the cockpit just moments before the tragedy. Revealing a panicked exchange between the pilots as they realised the engines were off, the report said: "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."
This report also confirmed there was no significant bird activity around the aircraft at the time and all crew members had been breathalysed on their arrival at Ahmedabad airport, and found they were "fit to operate the flight".
Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage and quarantined at a hangar in the nearby airport. Investigators have identified "components of interest for further examinations", the report says.
An Air India spokesman said: "Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time."
The spokesman added: "Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully co-operate with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such inquiries to the AAIB."
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