
Deliberate human intervention reason for the Air India crash: Top safety expert
"The preliminary report by the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an independent investigative unit. constituted by the Civil Aviation Ministry, reveal a conversation between the cockpit crew with one of them expressing shock over the fuel supply being cut-off to the engines and questioning the other.
The report states, "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," The co-pilot Clive Kunder was flying the plane during take-off and he had 1000-plus hours of flying. The highly experienced First Officer Captain Sumit Sabharwal, with more than 8,000 hours of flying was in the cockpit with him.
Capt Ranganathan states, "The fuel switch does not change automatically. It needs to be moved physically from one slot to another slot and can only be done as a deliberate action."
This switch to stop fuel supply is provided as an emergency measure so that pilots can salvage the situation in case of any major fire related incidents, he explained.
"This is a case of deliberate human intervention. It was not accidental," he stressed.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Air India inspects all Boeing jets after AI171 crash — says no fault found anywhere else; pilot's wrong fuel switch suspected
Air India has said there were 'no issues' found in the fuel switch mechanisms of its Boeing aircraft following last month's deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner that killed 260 people. This comes after a preliminary report by Indian aviation authorities revealed that both fuel switches were manually turned off shortly after take-off, leading to fuel starvation and engine failure. As part of a precautionary measure, Air India inspected all locking mechanisms on its Boeing fleet and reported no faults. At the same time, a separate investigation by US authorities appears to be focusing on the role of the aircraft's captain, according to sources cited in a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report. What did the preliminary report reveal? The initial investigation by India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation found that after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, the London-bound plane's fuel switches were turned off 'one after another,' cutting off fuel supply to both engines. With both engines shut down, the plane lost altitude and crashed within 32 seconds, killing all 241 passengers and crew on board, along with 19 people on the ground. The black-box data showed one of the engines restarted seconds later after the switches were turned back on, but it was not enough to save the flight. A mayday call was made to air traffic control moments before the crash. The report did not assign blame or recommend any action against Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, but it did lead Air India to carry out safety checks on its fleet. US focus on pilot actions sparks criticism While India's preliminary report did not attribute fault, a WSJ report stated that US officials are focusing their early investigation on the actions of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. The report claims that he may have manually moved the fuel switches, though his exact intent is unclear. According to the WSJ, the black-box audio indicates that the first officer, Clive Kunder, who was flying the aircraft at the time, questioned why the fuel switches had been turned off. Sabharwal responded that he hadn't done so. Sources cited in the WSJ report also suggested that the first officer appeared panicked, while the captain remained calm. However, the report does not confirm whether the fuel cutoff was intentional or accidental. These unnamed sources have led to backlash from Indian pilot groups. The Federation of Indian Pilots called the report 'baseless' and accused it of trying to shift blame to the pilot without full facts. 🚨 The WSJ now indicates that fresh insights from the investigation into last month's Air India flight AI171 crash are turning the spotlight toward the senior pilot in the cockpit.'A black-box recording of dialogue between the flight's two pilots indicates it was the captain… Families frustrated, officials urge patience India's civil aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, has urged restraint, asking the public not to 'jump to conclusions.' Two pilots' associations also described the early finger-pointing as 'reckless and unfounded.' Meanwhile, family members of the 241 passengers who died have expressed dissatisfaction with the preliminary report, calling it 'vague and inexact.' According to The Indian Express, investigators are still examining whether a technical malfunction caused an 'uncommanded transition' in the fuel switches, which could point to a mechanical cause rather than human error. In an internal message to staff, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson acknowledged that the findings have 'opened additional questions,' and urged employees to wait for the final investigation report before forming conclusions. As of now, Indian authorities have not issued a final verdict on the cause of the crash. The investigation continues, with both mechanical and human factors under scrutiny.
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Business Standard
9 hours ago
- Business Standard
Air India crash: Voice recording suggests captain may have cut fuel supply
A voice recording from the cockpit of the Air India aircraft that crashed on June 12 suggests it was the captain who cut off the fuel supply to the engines, according to a report by Reuters. The claim, based on information from US officials involved in the probe, adds a new dimension to the ongoing investigation. Preliminary findings Although the findings are not part of any formal documentation, the US assessment has emphasised the probable cause of the crash of flight AI171, which killed more than 260 people. The incident is still under investigation. Inside the cockpit According to the Reuters report, the first officer was in control of the Boeing 787 during take-off when he questioned the captain over moving the fuel switches from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF'—a condition that stops fuel flow, starving the engines. The officer also reportedly urged the captain to immediately restore the supply. 2 confirmed that one pilot had asked the other why the fuel was cut off. The response was a denial. The report did not specify which pilot made which statement. The two pilots were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had logged 15,638 and 3,403 total flying hours, respectively. While there is no video footage from inside the cockpit to verify which pilot moved the switches, the US analysis, supported by other investigative leads, suggests the captain may have done so. Technical details The AAIB's initial findings revealed that fuel switches on both engines were toggled from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' seconds after take-off, though the reason remains unclear. Closed-circuit TV footage from the airport showed the deployment of the ram air turbine—a backup power source—indicating a loss of engine thrust. The London-bound aircraft climbed to 650 feet before beginning to lose altitude. The switches were later returned to 'RUN' mode, triggering an automatic restart attempt. The plane eventually clipped treetops and a chimney before crashing into a building at a nearby medical college, killing 19 people on the ground in addition to the 241 out of the 242 passengers onboard. AAIB slams western media for biased coverage On July 17, the AAIB criticised parts of the international press for "drawing conclusions through selective and unverified reporting." The agency reiterated that the investigation remains ongoing and that it is premature to speculate on causes. It further noted that air crashes often result from a combination of factors, and a comprehensive final report is expected within a year, in line with international norms. No safety recommendations to Boeing and GE Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, in an internal memo issued on July 14, confirmed that no mechanical or maintenance lapses had been identified in the preliminary findings. Consequently, the AAIB report did not include any safety recommendations for Boeing or the engine manufacturer, General Electric (GE). Following the report's release, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing reaffirmed the safety of fuel switch locks on the 787 aircraft. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been actively supporting the AAIB in the investigation. A spokesperson said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy had been fully briefed on the cockpit voice recordings and flight data readings that NTSB experts helped extract. Renewed debate on cockpit cameras The crash has reignited debate in aviation safety circles over the need for cockpit image recorders on commercial aircraft, with many arguing that video footage could be crucial in uncovering the causes of such accidents.


Hans India
10 hours ago
- Hans India
Pilot'S Suicidal Intent Or Technical Glitch? Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane's captain
New Delhi: A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people. The first officer, who was flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, asked the more experienced captain why he moved the fuel switches to the "cutoff" position seconds after lifting off the runway, the report said. The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. India's AAIB, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the Wall Street Journal report. A preliminary report into the crash released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday said the fuel switches had switched from 'run' to 'cutoff' a second apart just after takeoff, but it did not say how they were flipped. One pilot was then 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. Without fuel flowing to the engines, the London-bound plane began to lose thrust and sink. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash, the report said. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. The AAIB's preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.