Air India pilot's haunting plea when he left home on day of deadly crash as probe ‘confirms he turned off fuel switches'
Sumeet Sabharwal gave an eerie message to a security guard at his Mumbai apartment complex before
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Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot of the doomed Air India flight
8
The plane seconds before disaster
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A firefighter stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, India
Credit: Reuters
'Please, take care of papa. I will be back soon,' the 56-year-old pilot reportedly told guard Sunil Lokhande.
It was the last thing he ever said at home before
Lokhande, the security guard at Sabharwal's residence in Jal Vayu Vihar, Mumbai, recalled what can now be understood as the pilot's final goodbye.
He told The Telegraph: 'I can't forget that last moment, when he ran his hand through his hair, like he always did, and said, 'How are you Mr Lokhande. Please, take care of papa, and I will be back soon.'
Read more on Air India crash
'He smiled and went away. You'd never guess he carried any sadness inside.'
Lokhande added: '[Sabharwal] would visit home for two or three days and take his father for an evening walk regularly.
'Buy vegetables and fruits. He would often share fruits with me and would give money to buy meals or tea.'
Crash probe
Now, investigators say the experienced pilot may have
Most read in The Sun
According to cockpit recordings, the co-pilot can be heard asking: 'Why did you cut off?'
Sabharwal replied, apparently eerily calm: 'I didn't.'
'Human hand' HAD to be involved in Air India crash disaster, pilot says…as he reveals billions-to-one odds of tech fault
But US investigators, reviewing flight data, say the
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged into a hotel housing medical students just 30 seconds after takeoff.
A total of 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground were killed in the tragedy.
And only
Captain's personal struggles
Three days before the crash, Sabharwal reportedly told his elderly dad, Pushkaraj, he was planning to resign from Air India and move home permanently to care for him.
His former colleague Neil Pais told The Telegraph: 'He was actually considering early retirement in the next couple of years.
'His father is very old, and he was going to look after him full time. That was the plan.'
Sabharwal had reportedly
He had also separated from his wife and relocated from Dehli to Mumbai to be closer to his dad.
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A cockpit view of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner shows the fuel switch; Annotations by The Sun Graphics
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An image showing how the fuel cut off switches have to be deliberately 'unlocked' before being moved
Veteran pilot under scrutiny
Captain Sabharwal had logged over 15,000 flying hours and was known as a calm, capable flyer.
He had never been involved in a major incident until Flight 171.
But his mental health is now under review.
Despite passing a Class I medical exam in September, The Telegraph reports that Indian investigators are probing claims he previously took leave for depression.
Friends and colleagues described him as humble, gentle and intensely private.
'Human hand involved'
Aviation experts say the switches used to cut off fuel are physically guarded and require deliberate manual action to move.
There is no emergency scenario where both engines would be shut down after takeoff.
Captain Steve Scheibner said: 'When you place both fuel cutoff switches to cut off, that will fuel-starve the engines and they'll both flame out.
'There is no universe where there's any procedure ever in the history of commercial flight where you place both fuel control switches to cut off, leave them there for 10 seconds, right after rotate.'
He added
there was a
8
Landing gear of the Air India plane crashed directly on the BJ Medical College
Credit: Getty
8
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a doctors' hostel
8
Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight
Credit: Pixel8000
The seasoned pilot and respected aviation analyst, told
Piers Morgan
Uncensored:
'My take on it is that the aeroplane was operating exactly the way it was designed, I don't think there was anything wrong with this particular aircraft.
'Some things are plain and some things are clear, whether it was intentional, placing of the fuel control switches to cut off, or unintentional, that's two different things.
'But I really firmly believe that there had to be a human hand on both of those for them to go to cut off.'
Investigation ongoing
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a
US officials believe the evidence suggests deliberate human action.
Some sources claim a criminal probe may be warranted if the crash had occurred on American soil.
Air India says it is cooperating fully but declined to comment on the findings.
'We continue to mourn the loss,' a spokesperson said.
'Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB.'
Key findings of Air India preliminary crash report
Dual engine shutdown
- fuel cutoff switches moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF'
Confusion between pilots
- cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked 'why did you cut off', the other replied 'I didn't'
RAT deployed
- as seen in CCTV footage before the crash, the ram air turbine (RAT) which acts as a backup power source in case of emergencies had deployed
Engine relight attempted
- fuel switches were found returned to 'RUN' at crash site
32 seconds -
the time the
aircraft was airborne before it crashed
Thrust levers mismatch
- Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged
Fuel test pass
- fuel was clean without any contamination
Normal take-off set-up
- Flaps and landing gear correctly configured
No bird activity
- clear skies, good visibility, light winds
Pilot credentials clear
- both medically fit and rested
No sabotage detected
- although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India
Aircraft loading -
the flight was within weight and balance limits
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AIR INDIA'S captain made a haunting plea as he left home on the day of the deadly crash. Sumeet Sabharwal gave an eerie message to a security guard at his Mumbai apartment complex before 8 Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot of the doomed Air India flight 8 The plane seconds before disaster 8 A firefighter stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, India Credit: Reuters 'Please, take care of papa. I will be back soon,' the 56-year-old pilot reportedly told guard Sunil Lokhande. It was the last thing he ever said at home before Lokhande, the security guard at Sabharwal's residence in Jal Vayu Vihar, Mumbai, recalled what can now be understood as the pilot's final goodbye. He told The Telegraph: 'I can't forget that last moment, when he ran his hand through his hair, like he always did, and said, 'How are you Mr Lokhande. Please, take care of papa, and I will be back soon.' Read more on Air India crash 'He smiled and went away. You'd never guess he carried any sadness inside.' Lokhande added: '[Sabharwal] would visit home for two or three days and take his father for an evening walk regularly. 'Buy vegetables and fruits. He would often share fruits with me and would give money to buy meals or tea.' Crash probe Now, investigators say the experienced pilot may have Most read in The Sun According to cockpit recordings, the co-pilot can be heard asking: 'Why did you cut off?' Sabharwal replied, apparently eerily calm: 'I didn't.' 'Human hand' HAD to be involved in Air India crash disaster, pilot says…as he reveals billions-to-one odds of tech fault But US investigators, reviewing flight data, say the The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged into a hotel housing medical students just 30 seconds after takeoff. A total of 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground were killed in the tragedy. And only Captain's personal struggles Three days before the crash, Sabharwal reportedly told his elderly dad, Pushkaraj, he was planning to resign from Air India and move home permanently to care for him. His former colleague Neil Pais told The Telegraph: 'He was actually considering early retirement in the next couple of years. 'His father is very old, and he was going to look after him full time. That was the plan.' Sabharwal had reportedly He had also separated from his wife and relocated from Dehli to Mumbai to be closer to his dad. 8 A cockpit view of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner shows the fuel switch; Annotations by The Sun Graphics 8 An image showing how the fuel cut off switches have to be deliberately 'unlocked' before being moved Veteran pilot under scrutiny Captain Sabharwal had logged over 15,000 flying hours and was known as a calm, capable flyer. He had never been involved in a major incident until Flight 171. But his mental health is now under review. Despite passing a Class I medical exam in September, The Telegraph reports that Indian investigators are probing claims he previously took leave for depression. Friends and colleagues described him as humble, gentle and intensely private. 'Human hand involved' Aviation experts say the switches used to cut off fuel are physically guarded and require deliberate manual action to move. There is no emergency scenario where both engines would be shut down after takeoff. Captain Steve Scheibner said: 'When you place both fuel cutoff switches to cut off, that will fuel-starve the engines and they'll both flame out. 'There is no universe where there's any procedure ever in the history of commercial flight where you place both fuel control switches to cut off, leave them there for 10 seconds, right after rotate.' He added there was a 8 Landing gear of the Air India plane crashed directly on the BJ Medical College Credit: Getty 8 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a doctors' hostel 8 Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight Credit: Pixel8000 The seasoned pilot and respected aviation analyst, told Piers Morgan Uncensored: 'My take on it is that the aeroplane was operating exactly the way it was designed, I don't think there was anything wrong with this particular aircraft. 'Some things are plain and some things are clear, whether it was intentional, placing of the fuel control switches to cut off, or unintentional, that's two different things. 'But I really firmly believe that there had to be a human hand on both of those for them to go to cut off.' Investigation ongoing India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a US officials believe the evidence suggests deliberate human action. Some sources claim a criminal probe may be warranted if the crash had occurred on American soil. Air India says it is cooperating fully but declined to comment on the findings. 'We continue to mourn the loss,' a spokesperson said. 'Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB.' Key findings of Air India preliminary crash report Dual engine shutdown - fuel cutoff switches moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' Confusion between pilots - cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked 'why did you cut off', the other replied 'I didn't' RAT deployed - as seen in CCTV footage before the crash, the ram air turbine (RAT) which acts as a backup power source in case of emergencies had deployed Engine relight attempted - fuel switches were found returned to 'RUN' at crash site 32 seconds - the time the aircraft was airborne before it crashed Thrust levers mismatch - Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged Fuel test pass - fuel was clean without any contamination Normal take-off set-up - Flaps and landing gear correctly configured No bird activity - clear skies, good visibility, light winds Pilot credentials clear - both medically fit and rested No sabotage detected - although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India Aircraft loading - the flight was within weight and balance limits
