Aviation expert Byron Bailey makes chilling claim about Air India crash after report finds fuel control switches turned off
Only one person survived when Air India Flight 171, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed into a building in the city of Ahmedabad just moments after take-off on June 12.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was bound for London's Gatwick Airport when the plane came down in a densely populated neighbourhood, killing a further 19 people on the ground.
British-Indian national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the sole survivor, miraculously only suffering minor injuries after he managed to flee the fiery wreck.
A preliminary report into the crash conducted by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found the plane's fuel control switches were switched off three seconds after take-off.
The plane then began to lose thrust as fuel was not reaching the engines.
While the switches were turned back on, and power was restored to one engine the plane crashed not long afterwards, according to the findings.
An analysis of black box data suggests pilot-in-command Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, placed the switches into the "cut-off" position, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The black box voice recording further revealed a back-and-forth unfolded between the two pilots, with first officer Clive Kunder - who was flying the aircraft - questioning the captain's move.
The revelations have cast a spotlight on the actions of the captain, as aviation experts claim cutting off the fuel supply could not have been done by accident.
Speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday about the developments, Captain Bailey was of the view the pilot-in-command deliberately flicked off the fuel switches.
"To us aviation people ... we believe straight away that the only way this could have happened is if the captain turned off the fuel control switches," he told Sky News Chief Anchor Kieran Gilbert.
"The first one, which is right by his right hand, three seconds up and lift off - and the second one, one second later."
Captain Bailey claimed the co-pilot, also known as a first officer, would have had his "hands full" flying the aircraft.
"Both hands would have been on the yoke (control wheel) during this period, so he could not have reached down and turned the fuel cut off switches," Captain Bailey said.
"They're mechanical, they're not worked by electricity, and they require absolute physical effort to lift the switch up, raise it over the gate and back down.
"So it had to be done by one of the pilots. But since the co-pilot was the one flying, then of course, the captain was one under suspicion."
In his view, Captain Bailey claimed the crash was "suicide by the captain".
The official report did not outline how the fuel switches could have transitioned to the cut-off position.
Asked if airline companies should implement a "fail-safe" measure to prevent similar incidents occurring, Captain Bailey said a video-recording mechanism is needed in the cockpit.
"There should be a camera, a closed-loop thing that only lasts for 30 minutes, but of course, the final 30 minutes of any flight," the pilot with more than 25,000 flying hours said.
In a statement after the initial report was released, Air India said it continues to "mourn the loss" of all lives lost in the crash and is "committed to providing support during this difficult time".
The company said it also acknowledges "receipt" of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
"Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses," it said.
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