AI 171 fuel switch-off mystery: All expert theories we have heard so far
advertisementFormer pilots, engineers, air safety professionals and investigators speaking to the media have offered three potential scenarios to explain the fuel control switching turning off at 1:38:42 pm on June 12. These are:Intentional or erroneous fuel cut off by a pilot,Accidental movement of switches.Faulty signal or chip that could have sent wrong messages to the engine's brain ie Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), a digital electronic system managing all aspects of engine performance.
The first explanation – that the switches were moved by a human hand – has been backed by the majority of experts. A report published by The Wall Street Journal, based on statements of people familiar with the US' official assessment, identified senior pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal as someone who is likely to have turned off the switch. Former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector David Saucie told CNN that the switches couldn't be moved only by a person.
Many experts said the switches come with a spring-based lock feature and need to be pulled up before moving to RUN or CUT OFF positions.The second group of aviation professionals suggest a signal or a chip malfunction. 'When the fuel switch is moved, there are various micro switches that are made contact with. These micro-switches send signals to various aircraft systems, like FADEC or the engine's brain, different spar valves and fuel control valves,' Sharath Panicker, the former Air Force officer who also flew the 787s at Air India, told India Today, suggesting that possible signal malfunction.
However, another set of experts cite an earlier FAA circular that said fuel control panels in some Boeing 787 planes came with the lock feature disengaged, suggesting that such a switch, had it been installed in the AI-171, could move automatically or accidentally due to aircraft vibration, contact or quadrant flex.
In its preliminary report published last Friday, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the fuel control switches were moved to CUT OFF barely three seconds after the aircraft's lift-off. It also quoted a pilot asking his colleagues as to why he cut off. The colleague denied having done so. The report, however, didn't reveal any cause or recommended any action, and many experts say it left more questions than it provided answers.
Commercial pilot associations have cautioned people against drawing any conclusions until the investigation is over.Investigations into aircraft accidents are a cumbersome process and may or may not come to a conclusion. Sometimes they could take years and different investigators involved may contradict each other's findings.- EndsMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Ahmedabad Plane Crash
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