Air India 'issued warning six years before 260 people killed in horror crash'
Air India was warned about wrongly installed fuel switches more than six years before the horror crash which killed 260 people, it was claimed today.
Investigators are said to be probing if the loss of power shortly after take off occurred because two fuel switches in the cockpit of Air India Flight 171 were turned off. The switches' "locking feature" meant pilots had to lift them up before changing their position.
But a preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said in December 2018 the US air regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines that fuel switches had been installed in some Boeing 737s "with the locking feature disengaged".
"If the locking feature is disengaged, the switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting the switch during transition, and the switch would be exposed to the potential of inadvertent operation," the FAA warned in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin. "Inadvertent operation of the switch could result in an unintended consequence, such as an in-flight engine shutdown."
It recommended airlines inspect the switches, including "whether the fuel control switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting up the switch". Air India suggested such inspections were not carried out because the FAA's bulletin was "advisory and not mandatory", according to the report.
The AAIB report says the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models including part number 4TL837-3D fitted in the 787-8 Dreamliner, the model that crashed in Ahmedabad.
It comes just days after it was claimed human error had caused the catastrophic crash, with the AAIB suggesting both pilots on the doomed Air India flight had denied cutting off the plane's fuel switches. The report says: "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."
However, victims' families have blasted the report and accused authorities of rushing to blame the pilots for the disaster. "This report is wrong. We don't accept it," said Ameen Siddiqui, 28, whose brother-in-law Akeel Nanabawa died alongside his wife, Hannaa Vorajee, and their daughter, Sara, four.
Akeel, who grew up in Newport, South Wales, was returning to his home in Gloucestershire with his wife and child. "It's a cover-up," Mr Siddiqui told The Telegraph from Surat, south of Ahmedabad. "They want to blame dead pilots who can't defend themselves. How can the fuel switches end up turning off at a critical moment, either through pilot error or a mechanical fault?
"And if these pilots were so careless, why did the government allow them to fly at all? Air India until recently was owned by the government." Mr Siddiqui added: "We have rejected Air India's compensation. We will take them to court. They have to answer our questions and take responsibility.
"We have seen the videos of the passengers and pilots before the take off. Everyone was happy in the plane including the pilots. You could not find a ting of sadness, fear or anger on anyone's face. Why will they [pilots] turn the fuel switches off deliberately. Everyone was smiling."
However, the report was described as "the first stepping stone" by Akeel's relatives. In a statement, they said: "Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth. We seek justice and answers, both of which are essential for us to find any sense of closure.
"We accept God's fate, but knowing what happened will help ease our hearts and allow us to begin the long journey of healing."
Fifty-two Britons were among 260 who died when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college after taking off from Ahmedabad a month ago. Air India Flight 171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, was the sole survivor among those on board.
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The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Air India safety audit finds over 50 lapses in wake of deadly Ahmedabad crash
India's aviation regulator has reportedly flagged dozens of safety lapses in an audit of Air India's operations in the wake of last month's deadly crash. An Air India Boeing 787 plane crashed into a medical college campus in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after taking off for London on 12 June, killing all but one of the 242 people onboard, including 53 Britons. At least 19 people also died on the ground. The disaster triggered unprecedented checks of Boeing planes across airlines. The audit is reportedly an annual exercise not related to the crash as such but comes at a time when the Indian airline is facing intense scrutiny over its operations, according to Reuters. The confidential report of the audit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation runs into 11 pages and notes as many as seven significant "Level I" breaches that need to be fixed by 30 July and 44 non-compliances that must be resolved by 23 August, Reuters reported. The regulator found "recurrent training gaps" for some unspecified Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, Reuters reported. The pilots had not completed their monitoring duties where they would not fly but observe the functioning of instruments in the cockpit ahead of mandatory periodic evaluations. Flagging operational and safety risks, the report noted that Air India did not do "proper route assessments" for some Category C airports – which might have challenging layouts or terrain– and conducted training for such airfields with simulators that did not meet qualification standards. "This may account to non-consideration of safety risks during approaches to challenging airports," the report pointed out. Air India told Reuters it was "fully transparent" during the audit and that it would "submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions". A preliminary investigation report on the crash released earlier this month revealed that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from 'run' position to 'cutoff' three seconds after takeoff. It said that one pilot had asked the other why he had cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said, referring to a conversation captured on the cockpit voice recorder. At the crash site, however, both fuel switches were found in the 'run' position. The report noted there had been indications of the engines relighting before the low-altitude crash. The DGCA has often flagged concerns about Air India pilots breaching the limits of their flight duty periods and the audit report said an AI-787 Milan-New Delhi flight last month exceeded the limit by 2 hours and 18 minutes, calling it a "Level I" non-compliance. It also criticised the airline's rostering system, which it said "doesn't give a hard alert" if a minimum number of crew members were not being deployed on a flight, adding that at least four international flights had flown with insufficient cabin crew. The airline, owned by the Tata Group, is already facing warning notices for running aircraft without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts in time and forging records, along with lapses related to crew fatigue management. Air India was ranked the worst airline for flight delays in the UK, where its departures were, on an average, just under 46 minutes behind schedule in 2024, according to an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data by the PA news agency published in May.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Air India under growing pressure as safety record scrutinised after deadly crash
Just three years ago, it looked as if the fortunes of Air India were finally looking up. After decades of being regarded as a floundering drain on the Indian taxpayer, with a reputation for shabby services and dishevelled aircraft, a corporate takeover pledged to turn it into a 'world class global airline with an Indian heart' that would outgrow all its domestic and international competitors. Yet, after tragedy struck on 12 June, the airline is instead facing critical questions about its ability to operate safely, throwing its long-term ambitions into jeopardy. It was less than a minute after Air India flight 171, bound for London, took off from Ahmedabad airport that it lost momentum and dropped from the sky, exploding into flames, killing 241 people on board and 19 on the ground. So far, only a preliminary report into the crash by the Indian aviation authority has been released, which found that both switches that controlled fuel going into the engines were cut off just after take-off, causing the plane to fatally lose altitude. Focus has reportedly turned to the actions of the pilots, amid unanswered questions over whether the switches were moved manually or due to a faulty mechanism. The report did not recommend action against Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane. In the weeks after the crash, Air India has faced growing scrutiny after attention has turned to its own recent alleged chequered safety record. Last week, the Indian government began holding direct meetings with senior Air India management, calling for better oversight on safety and engineering. It came as India's aviation watchdog issued four show-cause notices to the airline last week, citing 29 safety-related violations over the past year. These breaches include lapses in crew duty norms, fatigue management and training oversight. They were based on disclosures made by the airline itself. 'Despite repeated warnings and earlier enforcement measures, systemic problems in compliance monitoring, crew scheduling and training oversight remain unresolved,' stated one notice. The aviation watchdog warned the airline that continued non-compliance could leave them facing heavy financial penalties or even the removal of senior executives. It also emerged that in the days after Air India 423 crash, over 100 Air India pilots went on medical leave, leading to questions over the company's handling of the welfare and morale of its pilots. One senior Indian government official with direct knowledge of the notices told Reuters the administration was concerned that 'Air India is taking things for granted' adding: 'We have given them many warnings.' Air India acknowledged receipt of the notices. 'We will respond to the said notices within the stipulated period. We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers,' they said in a statement in response. It was late 2021 when one of India's largest conglomerates, the Tata Goup – which founded the airline back in 1932 – agreed to pay about $2 to buy back Air India from the government, pledging to restore it to its former glory. For decades, the legacy Indian airline had languished under state ownership and overturning years of neglect and underfunding was seen as a gargantuan task; at the time of the takeover, its newly appointed CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline was in an 'absolute shambles'. But Tata immediately began to make major moves to invest in, modernise and expand Air India's fleet. Billons of dollars worth of new planes were ordered and it began a multimillion dollar refit of some of its older planes. A merger was also announced with an emerging, successful airline Vistara. Recently the airline had shown signs that its losses were narrowing. However, while the cause of the crash in June has yet to be confirmed, it has already proved damaging for Air India and Tata, shaking consumer confidence and shining a light on a series of operational challenges and mishaps involving their aircraft. Over the past six months, Air India received 13 notices for multiple safety violations and incidents. Recent incidents included a fire in the power unit of an Airbus A321 that had just landed from Hong Kong to Delhi, a Kochi-Mumbai flight that veered off the runaway and suffered damage to an engine cover, and a Delhi-Kolkata flight was forced to abort take-off at the last minute. Despite the pledged upgrades, customer complaints about the standard of Air India aircraft – including dishevelled and uncomfortable interiors, broken armrests, faulty entertainment systems and frequent delays on international flights – have also continued, sometimes with significant consequences; in March, Air India Flight 126 from Chicago to Delhi had to turn back after 10 hours when 11 out of the plane's 12 toilets became clogged. In June last year, hundreds of cabin crew working for Air India express went on strike over working conditions. The budget airline is also now under investigation by the EU's aviation agency after reports it did not change the engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner. In a memo to Air India staff after the release of the preliminary report into June's crash, CEO Wilson emphasised that it had found 'no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed'. Air India also found 'no issues' with the fuel switches after it completed a full inspection of its Boeing planes. A full report is due next year. Jitender Bhargava, a former Air India executive, said that most major international airlines had faced similar periods of scrutiny but emphasised that the airline had a responsibility to be open and transparent. 'They need to clearly spell out what steps they are taking: for the families of the victims who want closure, for the operators of Boeing planes who want answers and for the millions and millions of people who watched footage of that plane come crashing to the ground on their televisions around the world,' he said. Nonetheless, Bhargava believed this would only be a 'temporary setback' for Air India's ambitions. 'It's always the case that after such an incident, the regulatory agency is on their toes and an airline faces greater pressure surveillance for its safety record,' he said. 'It's not a reflection on the overall safety track record of Air India.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Air India under growing pressure as safety record scrutinised after deadly crash
Just three years ago, it looked as if the fortunes of Air India were finally looking up. After decades of being regarded as a floundering drain on the Indian taxpayer, with a reputation for shabby services and dishevelled aircraft, a corporate takeover pledged to turn it into a 'world class global airline with an Indian heart' that would outgrow all its domestic and international competitors. Yet, after tragedy struck on 12 June, the airline is instead facing critical questions about its ability to operate safely, throwing its long-term ambitions into jeopardy. It was less than a minute after Air India flight 423, bound for London, took off from Ahmedabad airport that it lost momentum and dropped from the sky, exploding into flames, killing 241 people on board and 19 on the ground. So far, only a preliminary report into the crash by the Indian aviation authority has been released, which found that both switches that controlled fuel going into the engines were cut off just after take-off, causing the plane to fatally lose altitude. Focus has reportedly turned to the actions of the pilots, amid unanswered questions over whether the switches were moved manually or due to a faulty mechanism. The report did not recommend action against Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane. In the weeks after the crash, Air India has faced growing scrutiny after attention has turned to its own recent alleged chequered safety record. Last week, the Indian government began holding direct meetings with senior Air India management, calling for better oversight on safety and engineering. It came as India's aviation watchdog issued four show-cause notices to the airline last week, citing 29 safety-related violations over the past year. These breaches include lapses in crew duty norms, fatigue management and training oversight. They were based on disclosures made by the airline itself. 'Despite repeated warnings and earlier enforcement measures, systemic problems in compliance monitoring, crew scheduling and training oversight remain unresolved,' stated one notice. The aviation watchdog warned the airline that continued non-compliance could leave them facing heavy financial penalties or even the removal of senior executives. It also emerged that in the days after Air India 423 crash, over 100 Air India pilots went on medical leave, leading to questions over the company's handling of the welfare and morale of its pilots. One senior Indian government official with direct knowledge of the notices told Reuters the administration was concerned that 'Air India is taking things for granted' adding: 'We have given them many warnings.' Air India acknowledged receipt of the notices. 'We will respond to the said notices within the stipulated period. We remain committed to the safety of our crew and passengers,' they said in a statement in response. It was late 2021 when one of India's largest conglomerates the Tata Goup – which founded the airline back in 1932 – agreed to pay about $2 to buy back Air India from the government, pledging to restore it to its former glory. For decades, the legacy Indian airline had languished under state ownership and overturning years of neglect and underfunding was seen as a gargantuan task; at the time of the takeover; its newly appointed CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline was in an 'absolute shambles'. But Tata immediately began to make major moves to invest in, modernise and expand Air India's fleet. Billons of dollars worth of new planes were ordered and it began a multimillion dollar refit of some of its older planes. A merger was also announced with an emerging, successful airline Vistara. Recently the airline had shown signs that its losses were narrowing. However, while the cause of the crash in June has yet to be confirmed, it has already proved damaging for Air India and Tata, shaking consumer confidence and shining a light on a series of operational challenges and mishaps involving their aircraft. Over the past six months, Air India received 13 notices for multiple safety violations and incidents. Recent incidents included a fire in the power unit of an Airbus A321 that had just landed from Hong Kong to Delhi, a Kochi-Mumbai flight that veered off the runaway and suffered damage to an engine cover, and a Delhi-Kolkata flight was forced to abort take-off at the last minute. Despite the pledged upgrades, customer complaints about the standard of Air India aircraft – including dishevelled and uncomfortable interiors, broken armrests, faulty entertainment systems and frequent delays on international flights – have also continued, sometimes with significant consequences; in March, Air India Flight 126 from Chicago to Delhi had to turn back after 10 hours when 11 out of the plane's 12 toilets became clogged. In June last year, hundreds of cabin crew working for Air India express went on strike over working conditions. The budget airline is also now under investigation by the EU's aviation agency after reports it did not change the engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner. In a memo to Air India staff after the release of the preliminary report into June's crash, CEO Wilson emphasised that it had found 'no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed'. Air India also found 'no issues' with the fuel switches after it completed a full inspection of its Boeing planes. A full report is due next year. Jitender Bhargava, a former Air India executive, said that most major international airlines had faced similar periods of scrutiny but emphasised that the airline had a responsibility to be open and transparent. 'They need to clearly spell out what steps they are taking: for the families of the victims who want closure, for the operators of Boeing planes who want answers and for the millions and millions of people who watched footage of that plane come crashing to the ground on their televisions around the world,' he said. Nonetheless, Bhargava believed this would only be a 'temporary setback' for Air India's ambitions. 'It's always the case that after such an incident, the regulatory agency is on their toes and an airline faces greater pressure surveillance for its safety record,' he said. 'It's not a reflection on the overall safety track record of Air India.'
