Air India captain cut fuel seconds before crash, US experts say
Sumeet Sabharwal, the captain of the doomed Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was asked by his panicked co-pilot why he had moved the fuel-control switches to the 'cut-off' position, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
The captain was said to have remained calm during the exchange, which was captured by the cockpit's voice recorders, before the London-bound plane crashed into a hostel block in Ahmedabad about 30 seconds after take-off. All but one of the 230 passengers and all 12 crew members died. An additional 19 people were killed on the ground.
A preliminary report released last week by Indian investigators also concluded that the plane's fuel-control switches had been flipped almost simultaneously but did not identify the pilot responsible. Nor did it say whether the action was accidental or deliberate.
The report, by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), said one pilot had asked the other why he had moved the switches. The other denied having done so.
It is likely that the co-pilot, first officer Clive Kunder, 32, would have had his hands pulling back on the plane's controls at the point of take-off, said US pilots who had read the Indian authorities' report. Sabharwal, 56, would have been more likely to have had his hands free because he was the monitoring pilot.
The fuel control switches were turned off one second apart,then flicked back on ten seconds later, according to the preliminary report.
The switches, which toggle between 'run' and 'cut-off', are used for the engine start and stop in every flight. They are positioned on the console between the pilots and are impossible to manipulate accidentally because they are guarded and require deliberate actions to move.
• Who were the Air India pilots who flew the jet that crashed?
A press officer for India's Ministry of Civil Aviation and AAIB called the Journal's reporting one-sided and declined to comment further.
The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association said that the crew 'acted in line with their training and responsibilities under challenging conditions and the pilots shouldn't be vilified based on conjecture'.
'To casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession,' it said.
Campbell Wilson, the chief executive of Air India, told employees in an internal memo that the pilots had passed mandatory pre-flight breathalyser tests and health checks before the flight took off.
• Air India victim families bewildered by crash report
He has also confirmed there were no mechanical or maintenance faults in the jet. This was the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. However, the preliminary report released by Indian authorities did not rule out possible design flaws, malfunctions or maintenance issues.
Sabharwal was a pilot of decades' standing with 15,638 hours of flying experience, of which 8,596 hours were on a Boeing 787. He had promised to call his family when the flight arrived in London, the Times of India reported. Kunder had 3,403 hours of flying experience.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Grieving mother of Air India crash victim is dealt agonising blow after being sent the WRONG body
A grieving mother whose son died in the Air India plane disaster travelled thousands of miles to collect his remains - only to be sent home with the wrong body. Amanda Donaghey lost her son Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband, Jamie, 45, when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick crashed just seconds after takeoff on June 12 - claiming the lives of 260 people. The couple had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India when the plane unexpectedly crashed, killing all but one passenger onboard. The aircraft had turned into a huge fireball on impact but Ms Donaghey, 66, was determined to bring back her son's remains, handing over a sample of her blood in a bid to find matching DNA, The Sunday Times reports. Things did not look promising, however, and three days came and went without a word from officials handling the bodies. In the meantime, Jamie's remains were identified and sent home to the UK. But just as the mother was losing hope, they got back to her with news that there had been a 'match' for Fiongal. Ms Donaghey was relieved - the discovery meant she could bring her son's remains back and lay them next to his husband's. The family set about organising funerals for the two men with the mother assured on her return to the UK that Fiongal's remains were in the casket. Then, a heartbreaking development. The British coroner had conducted another DNA test which found that the remains in her son's coffin were not his after all. Ms Donaghey said that the identity of the remains is still unknown, describing the confusion as 'appalling'. Fiongal studied at the Royal College of Art and went on to work as a fashion designer, fronting design houses in London and Asia. He then got into sprituality, yoga and reiki and established the Wellness Foundry, dedicated to such topics, in 2018. The business founder married Jamie in 2022 and had taken to social media to describe their 'magical experience' in India the night before they caught the fateful flight. They even posted a short clip from the airport departure lounge just hours ahead of the journey back, which would see them sit in seats 22A and 22B, bidding farewell to the country. His mother was not aware he was on the plane, believing Fiongal to have flown back to the UK two days prior. After taking a ride on her horse, she got a phone call from Fiongal's father who told her the pair had been travelling back on the aircraft. Two days later, Ms Donaghey took a tricky trip to India from her home in the south of France, where she had moved 22 years ago. She was greeted by a British High Commission crisis management team on her arrival in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Despite being exhausted, the mother headed straight to the nearby Civil Hospital to take a DNA test in a converted classroom. Ms Donaghey then paid a visit BJ Medical College hostel, which had been hit by the Air India plane, but was not allowed to go through the final cordon as the aircraft's tail was still lodged in a building there. 'It was like a bomb site,' she said. 'You would think it was from a war scene, but there were still these small birds twittering.' Also out there was Miten Patel who was determined to bring home his parents Ashok and Shobhana, who had been married since the 70s. The financial advisor and retired microbiologist had been in the country for a yatra, a religious visit geared towards helping people to find peace when they die. Ashok and Shobhana, pictured, had been married since the 70s and were in the country for a yatra, a religious visit geared towards helping people to find peace when they die Mr Patel was handed several of his parents' items including Ashok's shirt and Shobhana's swan necklace. After successfully retrieving the couple's remains, he later discovered 'other remains' in the casket said to contain his mother's body. He was finally able to bury her last week, describing the successful end to the process as a 'miracle'. Ms Donaghey has been going through a similar ordeal, but one that remains unresolved. After initially being informed of the 'match' on June 20, she spoke with the British High Commission and hospital representatives, as well as an Avon and Somerset Police officer, acting as a disaster victim investigator. She said: 'I was told they had found part of Fiongal but not all of him. I said I wanted to stay until they had finished looking.' But on her return to the crash site, Ms Donaghey was handed the devastating news that there was nothing left to be found in the wreckage. Things took an even more concerning turn when she was told about Shobhana's case, which had seen various remains get mixed up. On June 28, she headed back to Gatwick on an Air India flight in a bid to get Fiongal's remains to a British hospital with better preserving standards than those in India. They were handed over to Dr Fiona Wilcox, senior coroner for Inner West London, and in the meantime Ms Donaghey was given support by her sister in Cambridgeshire, as well as police family liaison officers. Six days after her return, the mother was handed the heart-wrenching news that the remains in her son's coffin were not his at all. At a meeting attended by Fiongal's father, sister and brother, family liaison officers said: 'We don't have Fiongal. We have carried out the DNA tests and we do not have Fiongal.' Amanda said: 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking.' Despite realising that their ambition to bury Fiongal and Jamie alongside one another was now impossible, Ms Donaghey and her family have not given up on trying to locate his remains, ringing the Foreign Office each day looking for answers. Some 53 of the 242 people on the ill-fated flight were British but, as many were of Indian heritage and thus buried in the country of the crash, just 12 sets of remains were delivered back to the UK. The remaining 10 were all matches, but it is still not known for sure whether the identities of the bodies that stayed in India are correct. James Healy-Pratt, an international aviation lawyer and partner with Keystone Law, is representing 20 bereaved families and confirmed they were in contact with Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister's office and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. A government spokesperson said: 'We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them. Formal identification of bodies is a matter for the Indian authorities. 'We continue to liaise with the government of Gujarat and the government of India on behalf of the Inner West London senior coroner to support the coronial process.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
At least 1 dead & 2 missing after plane crashes into sea off California sparking major operation as debris washes ashore
A MAJOR search and rescue mission is underway after a plane crashed into the sea off the coast of California leaving at least one dead and two missing. Authorities have confirmed that a private plane plummeted into the water in Pacific Grove at around 10:40 pm on Saturday night. 4 4 4 The Beech 95-B55 was en route to Monterey Regional Airport from San Carlos Airport where it had departed around 10:07 pm, according to Flight Radar. It is believed to have ran into trouble shortly after take off with data from the Aviation Safety Network showing that it "crashed into the sea during a night-time approach to Monterey Airport." "On approach the aircraft entered a descending left-hand turn. During the turn the aircraft climbed again before entering a high-speed descent until it crashed into the sea about 22:38 hours," per the aviation outlet. Now, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, Pacific Grove Police, the Coast Guard, and CAL Fire are engaged in the search for those who were onboard the two-engine aircraft. The Coast Guard has said that three people were on board the plane, per KSBW Action News. In an update, a reporter from KION News who is at the scene, said that the body of one person has been recovered as divers continue to search the area. "This is now a recovery mission," he told viewers as divers could be seen in the water. Responders received a lost radar alert as well a flurry of 911 calls from horrified locals who said they heard an engine revving or a loud noise before a huge splash in the ocean near Asilomar. On Facebook, one local said: "I'm dog sitting for my daughter in Pacific Grove. I'm laying in bed around 10PM and I hear a low flying airplane overhead. "I'm wondering to myself 'it sounds like it might hit her house'. Then I hear a sudden splat and it goes silent." Moment 150 terrified passengers flee plane engulfed in smoke after landing gear issue sparked fire and injured one Another told KION News that a loud noise woke him up and it "sounded like a plane doing stunts over my roof - I thought I was dreaming". Emergency officials believe the aircraft plummeted into the sea between 200 meters and a quarter of a mile off the coastline. As the recovery operation continues, debris from the horror crash has started washing ashore including luggage, seat cushions, and parts of the aircraft, a CAL FIRE spokesperson told the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard said that numerous lifeboats and a helicopter were deployed minutes after reports of the crash came in. It is not yet known what caused the crash but the National Transportation Safety Board will start to assess the debris for possible answers. The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Pacific Grove Police Department and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office for an update. The identities of those on board have not been released. Locals have shared on Facebook how the news reminded them of the plane crash that killed folk and country star John Denver. Denver died on October 12, 1997, at the age of 53 when his plane crashed into Monterey Bay.
BreakingNews.ie
4 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
The mother of a British Air India crash victim has said her family is 'heartbroken' after receiving news the remains of her son were wrongly identified, The Sunday Times reported. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12th, killing 241 people on board. Advertisement Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities. Among the British victims were Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek (39) and his husband Jamie (45), who had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times she flew to India after the crash in order to find her son's remains, providing a DNA sample at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to assist the identification process. Following a match on June 20th, she returned to the UK with Mr Greenlaw-Meek's coffin. Advertisement But on July 5th, as Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his husband's families prepared to bury the married couple together, police told Ms Donaghey that DNA tests carried out in the UK showed Mr Greenlaw-Meek's remains were not in the coffin. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket,' she told The Sunday Times. 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. 'This is an appalling thing to have happened,' she added. Advertisement 'And we would now like the British Gvernment to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.' It was revealed last week the coffin of another repatriated British victim, 71-year-old Shobhana Patel, contained remains of multiple people, The Sunday Times reported. Mrs Patel was killed alongside her husband Ashok (74) as they returned to the UK from a Hindu religious trip. Their son Miten Patel told The Sunday Times: 'There may have been a mistake done. Advertisement 'But for religious reasons we need to make sure my mother is my mother and not somebody else's remains. 'Knowing 100% that it is my mum is very important to us.' Shobhana and Ashok Patel were laid to rest last week, The Sunday Times said. Prime minister of India Narendra Modi (left) with British prime minister Keir Starmer. Photo: Kin Cheung/PA International aviation lawyer James Healey-Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law is representing families of victims of the Air India crash, has told Times Radio the identification issues have raised concerns over the total number of victims whose identities may have been misattributed. Advertisement 'We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK,' he said. 'Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified. 'And so if you extrapolate that sample, you're looking at 40 mishandled remains out of 240. 'So that's a very large number, but we simply don't know. 'And to date, the Indian authorities have not been transparent or helpful about that, which is why there was pressure put on by the families to the FCO and the Prime Minister's office. 'And this was actually mentioned in the meeting at Chequers between Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. 'So the families are waiting to hear, first thing next week, about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance.' It is understood no blame is being put on any UK agency for the blunders, Mr Healy-Pratt previously told the PA news agency. The only surviving passenger on the plane was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay. A preliminary report into the incident from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. It has sparked questions over whether the crash was deliberate.
