Backlash as Air India crash report points to possible human error - here's what experts think
The flight, bound for London Gatwick, crashed just moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on 12 June, killing all but one of the 242 people on board the plane and at least 19 on the ground.
According to the preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the two engine fuel control switches on the plane were moved from the "RUN" to "CUTOFF" position.
These switches control fuel flow to the engines and should only be used when the aircraft is on ground, first to start the engines before a flight and later to shut them down at the gate.
They are designed so they're unlikely to be changed accidentally, pointing to possible human error on the Air India flight.
The findings include the final conversation between the pilots and show there was confusion in the cockpit as well.
When one pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel, he responded to say he did not do so.
Moments later, a Mayday call was made from the cockpit, but the plane could not regain power quickly enough and plummeted to the ground.
Captain Amit Singh, founder of Safety Matters Foundation, an organisation dedicated to aviation safety, told Sky News: "This exchange indicates that the engine shutdowns were uncommanded.
"However, the report does not identify the cause - whether it was crew error, mechanical malfunction, or electronic failure."
Previous warning of 'possible fuel switch issue'
"The Boeing 787 uses spring-loaded locking mechanisms on its fuel control switches to prevent accidental movement," Mr Singh explained.
But a previous bulletin from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "warned that these switches might be installed with the locking feature disengaged," he said.
This could "make them susceptible to unintended movement due to vibration, contact, or quadrant flex", he added.
Speaking to Sky News, aviation expert Terry Tozner said: "The take-off was normal, the aircraft rotated at the correct speed left the ground and almost immediately, the cut-off switches were selected to off, one then two.
"But nobody has said with any clarity whether or not the latch mechanisms worked okay on this particular aircraft. So we can only assume that they were in normal working order."
In India, there has been a backlash over the findings, with some saying the report points to pilot error without much information and almost dismisses the possibility of a mechanical or electric failure.
Indian government responds
India's civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has been quick to respond, saying: "We care for the welfare and the wellbeing of pilots so let's not jump to any conclusions at this stage, let us wait for the final report.
"I believe we have the most wonderful workforce of pilots and crew in the whole world."
0:34
Both pilots were experienced, with around 19,000 flying hours between them, including more than 9,000 on Boeing 787s.
The report says the aircraft maintenance checks were on schedule and that there are no signs of fuel contamination or a bird strike.
So far, no safety recommendations have been issued to Boeing or General Electric, the engine manufacturers.
Concern over destroyed flight recorder
Mr Singh said "the survivability of the flight recorders also raises concern".
The plane's rear flight recorder, designed to withstand impact forces of 3,400 Gs and temperatures of 1,100C for 60 minutes, "was damaged beyond recovery".
"The Ram Air Turbine (RAT), which deploys automatically when both engines fail and power drops below a threshold, was observed as deployed in CCTV footage when the aircraft was approximately 60ft above ground level," Mr Singh said.
"This suggests that the dual engine failure likely occurred before the official timestamp of 08:08:42 UTC, implying a possible discrepancy."
Mr Singh said it was also "of particular note" that the plane's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) did not send any signal after the crash.
"Was the ELT damaged, unarmed, mis-wired, or malfunctioning?" he said.
The report has generated more questions than answers on topics including human error, power source failures and mechanical or electrical malfunction.
The final report is expected to take a year. Meanwhile, families grapple with the unimaginable loss of loved ones in one of the worst disasters in India's aviation history.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
James Fenton: Burma Star veteran recalls 'godsend' of VJ Day
Veteran James Fenton was in India preparing for an attack on the Japanese mainland when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces on 15 August 1945, ending World War 103-year-old described the surrender as a "godsend" for his unit, who were fighting in East last surviving Burma Star recipient living on the Isle of Man, Mr Fenton will be joining other veterans at a service at the UK's National Memorial Arboretum to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan (VJ) Burma Campaign was a series of battles fought between December 1941 and September 1945, concluding after Japan's Fenton, who was born in Lancashire, said it was only then that he thought he "might have survived the war". Mr Fenton grew up in Oswaldtwistle before being drafted into the Lancashire Fusiliers in July 1942, joining the Royal Artillery after his basic training was February the following year, the 178th Field Regiment he was part of was sent the journey onboard the Britannic, a leisure ship seconded to the military as part of the war effort, he said: "We didn't know where we were going."They had given us tropical kit but, of course, it's all very secretive and nobody wants to say where you're going to give anything away to the enemy."Arriving six weeks later in Cape Town, South Africa, the regiment transferred to another ship for the journey to Bombay in India, now known as Mumbai."When we got there, of course, we knew it was fairly obvious where we were going - we were going to be fighting the Japanese in Burma." Mr Fenton said combat in the jungle posed several practical challenges when advancing towards enemy forces."The difficulty is, when you're moving forward, you had to move somewhere where you could fire the guns," he said."In the middle of the jungle you couldn't just put them anywhere, you had to fire so that the guns weren't obstructed by the jungle or the trees."He recalled men sleeping in pairs in trenches, dug into the ground in a circle to protect the gun position, as the "nights were pretty calm".He said although the Japanese forces "didn't very often attack at night", they did "frequently shell us to keep us awake"."We didn't very often fire back during the night it was just a straight occasion, it was the Japanese firing us."Remembering the news filtering through of the Allied forces' victory in Europe in May 1945, he said: "Everybody was having street parties and we were there in the middle of a jungle firing guns, and Japanese firing at us, and this was still carrying on." As the Allied Forces drove the Japanese forces out of Burma in 1945, Mr Fenton's unit was moved to prepare for another offensive."Because my unit was an assault unit they then took us back into India and we were retraining again to make an attack on the Japanese mainland," he said."And that would have been a terrific problem and horrible for us."He said when news of the Japanese surrender came through he and his comrades were "more than relieved".That surrender was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August 1945, following the United States' destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."We realised if they hadn't dropped that atomic bomb at that time, if perhaps they had delayed that for three months, maybe four months, we were in a position then to make a landing on the Japanese mainland," he said."And that eventually would mean the slaughter of so many of the British and European and native soldiers that were making this attack."So that fortunately was really a godsend as far as I was concerned because I knew then that I might have survived the war." But VJ Day did not mark the end of Mr Fenton's service in East Asia, as his unit went into Singapore as occupation troops. "After this my time came along to get back home to England and I had then to wait for a ship to sail me back from Singapore back to Britain," he said."Getting back to England was a great sensation, we were going back sailing up through the channel, and disembarking at Liverpool we got a great welcome." Mr Fenton said he had only shared his memories later in life as ex-servicemen "never ever used to talk about the war" in its said he and his brother, Harry Fenton, who took part in the D-Day landings, had fought in the same war in different parts of the world but never discussed their experiences."I don't know what beach, or even where he landed," he being invited to attend the Royal British Legion's national service to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, Mr Fenton was keen to accept."I heard that there were going to be people asked to celebrate, if you don't mind - celebrate - this occasion because it was going to be the last one," he said. "I thought, I can't say I'm a fit man and there are many things wrong with me, but I thought well if I can still manage to get there, I'm going."So there I am, I'm going." The BBC will broadcast a special programme live on BBC One and iPlayer, on Friday 15 of August between 11:30am - 1:00pm from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Glasgow Times
At least 44 dead in flash floods on popular Himalayan pilgrimage route
Rescue teams scouring the devastated Himalayan village brought at least 200 people to safety. Following a cloudburst in the region's Chositi village, which triggered floods and landslides, disaster management official Mohammed Irshad estimated that at least 50 people were still missing, with many believed to have been washed away. A building damaged in flash floods caused by torrential rains is seen in a remote, mountainous village in the Chositi area, India-controlled Kashmir (AP) India's deputy minister for science and technology, Jitendra Singh, warned that the disaster 'could result in substantial' loss of life. At least 50 of the rescued people, many of whom were brought from a stream under mud and debris, were seriously injured and were being treated in local hospitals, said Susheel Kumar Sharma, a local official. Chositi is a remote Himalayan village in Kashmir's Kishtwar district and is the last village accessible to motor vehicles on the route of an ongoing annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountainous shrine at an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,500 feet) and about an eight-kilometre (5-mile) trek from the village. Multiple pilgrims were also feared to be affected by the disaster. Officials said that the pilgrimage had been suspended and more rescue teams were on the way to the area to strengthen rescue and relief operations. The pilgrimage began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5. The first responders to the disaster were villagers and local officials who were later joined by police and disaster management officials, as well as personnel from India's military and paramilitary forces, Mr Sharma said. Abdul Majeed Bichoo, a local resident and a social activist from a neighbouring village, said that he witnessed the bodies of eight people being pulled out from under the mud. Three horses, which were also completely buried alongside them under debris, were 'miraculously recovered alive', he said. The 75-year-old Bichoo said Chositi village had become a 'sight of complete devastation from all sides' following the disaster. Buildings damaged in flash floods caused by torrential rains are seen in a remote, mountainous village, in the Chositi area, India-controlled Kashmir (AP) 'It was heartbreaking and an unbearable sight. I have not seen this kind of destruction of life and property in my life,' he said. The devastating floods swept away the main community kitchen set up for the pilgrims as well as dozens of vehicles and motorbikes, officials said. They added that more than 200 pilgrims were in the kitchen when the tragedy struck. The flash floods also damaged and washed away many homes, clustered together in the foothills. Photos and videos circulating on social media showed extensive damage caused in the village with multiple vehicles and homes damaged. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 'the situation is being monitored closely' and offered his prayers to 'all those affected by the cloudburst and flooding'. 'Rescue and relief operations are underway. Every possible assistance will be provided to those in need,' he said in a social media post. Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions, which are prone to flash floods and landslides. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly because of climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. Kishtwar is home to multiple hydroelectric power projects, which experts have long warned pose a threat to the region's fragile ecosystem.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
At least 44 dead in flash floods on popular Himalayan pilgrimage route
Flash floods caused by torrential rains in a remote village in India-controlled Kashmir have left at least 44 people dead and dozens missing, authorities said. Rescue teams scouring the devastated Himalayan village brought at least 200 people to safety. Advertisement Following a cloudburst in the region's Chositi village, which triggered floods and landslides, disaster management official Mohammed Irshad estimated that at least 50 people were still missing, with many believed to have been washed away. A building damaged in flash floods caused by torrential rains is seen in a remote, mountainous village in the Chositi area, India-controlled Kashmir (AP) India's deputy minister for science and technology, Jitendra Singh, warned that the disaster 'could result in substantial' loss of life. At least 50 of the rescued people, many of whom were brought from a stream under mud and debris, were seriously injured and were being treated in local hospitals, said Susheel Kumar Sharma, a local official. Chositi is a remote Himalayan village in Kashmir's Kishtwar district and is the last village accessible to motor vehicles on the route of an ongoing annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountainous shrine at an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,500 feet) and about an eight-kilometre (5-mile) trek from the village. Advertisement Multiple pilgrims were also feared to be affected by the disaster. Officials said that the pilgrimage had been suspended and more rescue teams were on the way to the area to strengthen rescue and relief operations. The pilgrimage began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5. The first responders to the disaster were villagers and local officials who were later joined by police and disaster management officials, as well as personnel from India's military and paramilitary forces, Mr Sharma said. Advertisement Abdul Majeed Bichoo, a local resident and a social activist from a neighbouring village, said that he witnessed the bodies of eight people being pulled out from under the mud. Three horses, which were also completely buried alongside them under debris, were 'miraculously recovered alive', he said. The 75-year-old Bichoo said Chositi village had become a 'sight of complete devastation from all sides' following the disaster. Buildings damaged in flash floods caused by torrential rains are seen in a remote, mountainous village, in the Chositi area, India-controlled Kashmir (AP) 'It was heartbreaking and an unbearable sight. I have not seen this kind of destruction of life and property in my life,' he said. Advertisement The devastating floods swept away the main community kitchen set up for the pilgrims as well as dozens of vehicles and motorbikes, officials said. They added that more than 200 pilgrims were in the kitchen when the tragedy struck. The flash floods also damaged and washed away many homes, clustered together in the foothills. Photos and videos circulating on social media showed extensive damage caused in the village with multiple vehicles and homes damaged. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 'the situation is being monitored closely' and offered his prayers to 'all those affected by the cloudburst and flooding'. Advertisement 'Rescue and relief operations are underway. Every possible assistance will be provided to those in need,' he said in a social media post. Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions, which are prone to flash floods and landslides. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly because of climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. Kishtwar is home to multiple hydroelectric power projects, which experts have long warned pose a threat to the region's fragile ecosystem.
