Major report throws suspicion on Air India pilots' actions
The Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators.
One pilot can be 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.
It did not identify which remarks were made by the flight's captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday' just before the crash.
At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and the report said there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. The Air India plane bound for London with 242 people onboard crashed near Ahmedabad. Credit: Unknown / X formerly Twitter
Both pilots were experienced jet pilots with about 19,000 total flying hours between them, including more than 9,000 on the 787.
The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cutoff position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said a key question is why were the switches moved in a way that is inconsistent with normal operations.
'Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots?' he asked. 'And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?'
U.S. aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. 'You can't bump them and they move,' he said.
Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff.
'At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE (GE.N), opens new tab GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers' India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Only one person survived. Credit: AAP
Air India, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The agency, an office under India's civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
The plane's two black boxes, both combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India.
Black boxes provide crucial data such as altitude, airspeed and final pilot conversations which help in narrowing down possible causes of the crash.
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report due 30 days after the accident according to international rules, and a final report expected within a year.
Air India has been under intense scrutiny since the crash.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it plans to investigate its budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported the carrier did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance.
India's aviation watchdog has also warned Air India for breaching rules for flying three Airbus planes with overdue checks on escape slides and in June warned it about 'serious violations' of pilot duty timings.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board declined to comment on the release of the report.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy had previously urged the Indian government to be transparent in the interest of aviation safety.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Netanyahu demands IDF backs Gaza plan
52m ago 52 minutes ago Tue 5 Aug 2025 at 8:00pm Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Play Duration: 3 minutes 8 seconds 3 m 8 s
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- SBS Australia
'Same same but different': Life as a domestic vs international student in Australia
SBS Punjabi visited Macquarie University during the 'Kickstart week' —the orientation period before the start of Semester Two—and spoke with Punjabi-speaking international and domestic students. The conversations revealed that although these undergraduate students all call Western Sydney's Macquarie University home for their higher education, this was one of the few similarities they shared. Not only their nationalities, but also their challenges, day-to-day lives, number of hours worked, and so much more, were 'degrees apart'. Delhi's Janav Satija talked about a day in his life, starting at 4:30 am. "I wake up at 4:30 am, catch a bus and then start my shift. I then come to uni at 2 pm to attend my classes," the 19-year-old international student said. He independently manages his cooking, house chores, studying, and work commitments. In contrast, Chandigarh-born Pranav Angrish, who grew up in Australia and is an executive on the university's 'Indian Society', has a different morning. The 19-year-old domestic student enjoys the benefits of living with his family. "My mum wakes me up around 8-9 am, and after that I attend my classes at university. I catch up with my mates afterwards and finish the day off by tutoring young students," he shared. Domestic and international students may be at one university, but each has a unique story to tell. Tune in to this podcast to hear from five students who share their challenges and experiences as students. For news, information, and interviews in Punjabi from Australia and the homeland, tune into SBS Punjabi live, Monday to Friday at 4 pm, on SBS South Asian , digital radio (channel 305 on your television) or via the SBS Audio app . You can also stream directly from our website .
7NEWS
3 days ago
- 7NEWS
Sarina Kamini shares her easy tricks to making the perfect dal makhani curry at home
Sarina Kamini is a cookbook author and cooking school teacher specializing in regional Indian cuisine. Today, she is making dal makhani (Pronounced dal mak-knee) which is a lentil curry. Recipe below: Dal Makhani This isn't a dish on our regular family roster, and I can safely say that this is pretty much true of any family across India's regions. The weight and richness of dal makhani makes it a 'sometimes' dish, one that's ordered when eating out, probably alongside tandoor-cooked naan. I've included it here to demonstrate the impact of fleur de sel, showing how a single change in masala introduces a new library of sensory information. Serves 8 as part of a meal 24 hours before cooking ¾ cup (150 g) urad dal (black lentils) ¼ cup (50 g) rajma (red kidney beans) plenty of cold water For pressure cooking 3 cups (750 ml) water 2 teaspoons fine white sea salt For the main cooking phase 40 g (1½ oz) salted butter 40 g (1½ oz) ghee 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger ½ cup tomato paste (concentrated purée) Masala 2 teaspoons fleur de sel 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder 1 teaspoon Ammi's garam masala (page 156) For simmering 1½ cups (375 ml) water To finish 20 g (¾ oz) salted butter ¼ cup (125 ml) pouring cream ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (optional) Method Soak the urad dal and rajma in plenty of cold water in separate bowls for 24 hours or at least overnight. Drain the soaked dal and beans and put them in a pressure cooker with the water and salt. Set on high heat and cook until the pressure cooker emits three or four jets of steam. Turn to medium, then cook for a further 15–20 minutes. Let the pressure cooker depressurise on its own, then check the dal. When cooked, the lentils and beans should hold their shape but be soft enough to mash. If not, pressure-cook for a little longer, then mash. Alternatively, cook the dal and rajma in a slow cooker or large heavy-based saucepan. Ensure the lentils and beans are soaked for the full 24 hours then cook in plenty of boiling water for about 90 minutes, until tender. Mash when cooked. For the main cooking phase, place a large heavy-based saucepan (I use my large Le Creuset casserole) over medium heat, then add the butter and ghee and cook until melted. Add the onion and cook for 5–7 minutes, until translucent but not caramelised. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 2–3 minutes, until the raw aroma dissipates. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2–3 minutes until it no longer smells raw. Add the masala and stir. Add the mashed urad dal and rajma mix and stir again. Lower the heat and add one-third of the water. Stir frequently, to prevent it sticking and burning, and to ensure a creamier result. When the water has worked into the dal, add another one-third and cook as before until worked into the dal. Repeat with the remaining water until the dal is rich and creamy. To finish, stir in the butter and cream – and the chilli, if using. Serve with basmati rice and a light sabji.
