Reports on AI plane crash premature, speculative: US probe agency NTSB says it fully support AAIB probe
'Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the…
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First Post
21 hours ago
- First Post
India has no plans to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners: Govt replies to post-Air India crash query
In a written response to a question from Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather on whether the government is planning to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners from the civil aviation sector amid speculations of the fleet's unfitness to fly, Mohol stated that no such proposal is currently under consideration read more The Civil Aviation Ministry has no plans to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners after the crash of Air India 171 in June, MoS Murlidhar Mohol said in Rajya Sabha. In a written response to a question from Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather on whether the government is planning to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners from the civil aviation sector amid speculations of the fleet's unfitness to fly, Mohol stated that no such proposal is currently under consideration. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'DGCA, on 13.06.2025, has ordered to conduct the checks/inspections of all 33 787-Dreamliner aircraft of Air India. Out of a total of 33 aircraft, 31 operational aircraft have been inspected, wherein minor findings were observed in 8 aircraft. These aircraft have been released for operation post rectification. The remaining 2 aircraft are under scheduled maintenance," the Mos said. There are a total of 190 aircraft ( Boeing B787-8/9/, B777-200/300, Airbus -350, Airbus 320 and Airbus 321). Out of which, 31 aircraft are on ground for scheduled maintenance. No significant technical, crew and maintenance gaps found for grounding of these 31 aircraft," Mohol added. 5 security breaches in 6 months Air India received nine show-cause notices from the government in the past six months over five identified safety violations, the MoS said in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Answering a question about the Air India Dreamliner 787 crash on June 12 that killed 260 people, MoS Mohol stated that the government has not observed an adverse trend in the reliability reports of the aircraft over the last six months. The airline, particularly its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, has come under intense scrutiny after a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) showed that a cutoff to the fuel switches caused the crash. After AAIB's report was published, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes. However, Air India said it had found 'no issues' in the locking mechanism on its planes.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
AAIB Probe Unbiased: Naidu
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has successfully retrieved data from the black box of the Air India Boeing 787 plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last month, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday. He said it was the first instance of successful decoding of a crashed aircraft's black box within the country. Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu assured the members that AAIB's ongoing probe into the air crash was 'transparent, rule-based and unbiased,' and followed international protocols. He added that the final AAIB report on the AI171 accident will include a detailed causal analysis, identify contributing factors, and recommend safety measures. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Finance Leadership Data Science Others Management CXO PGDM healthcare Healthcare others Digital Marketing Degree Project Management Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Data Science Operations Management Technology MCA MBA Cybersecurity Public Policy Product Management Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta SEPO - IIMC CFO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Fintech & Blockchain India Starts on undefined Get Details 'Until that report is out, we should not draw conclusions. We want to stand with the truth. Whatever the report says, we will act on it,' the minister said. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules stipulate that the final report should be published within a year of an air crash. He noted that until now, India had been dependent on overseas labs to decode damaged cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). 'However, for the first time, India took the initiative to decode the black box domestically, even if it appeared damaged externally. This decoding was successfully completed within the country,' he said. On June 12, an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on a scheduled flight to London Gatwick. The aircraft lost power on both engines and descended into a residential area, severely affecting the BJ Medical College hostel. Of the 242 people on board, all but one passenger survived. An additional 19 people on the ground were killed. A preliminary report released on July 12 by AAIB found that the crash was caused by dual engine failure due to disengagement of fuel control switches, which regulate the flow of fuel to the engines. The reasons behind the movement of switches from the 'Run' to 'Cutoff' mode is currently under investigation. Industry executives and experts said AAIB's initial report has raised more questions than it answers. While the report confirmed that both engine fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position shortly after take-off, it offered no explanation for why or how that occurred. Also, insufficient timeline, analysis, or human factor assessment left key details unclear, including who moved the switches, whether it was intentional, accidental, or due to a system failure, said experts, adding that the report's limited scope is triggering speculation and causing uncertainty around one of India's worst aviation disasters. Naidu, the AAIB, and also the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US have previously criticised the Western media after a series of international reports speculated on the causes of the AI171 crash before the probe was completed. These reports included interpretations of cockpit voice recordings and suggested possible errors or intent, despite the AAIB having only released a preliminary factual report, not a causal analysis. Naidu said a high-level committee led by the home secretary was formed immediately after the crash. The committee has a three-month timeline to recommend improvements in routine safety inspections and pilot training standards, drawing on global best practices. Responding to another question, Naidu informed that 'during the last six months, no adverse trend has been reported in reliability reports of Air India in respect of crashed aircraft'. During this period, a total of nine show cause notices were issued to Air India for five identified safety violations, he said, adding enforcement action has been taken in respect of one violation. Separately, addressing the issue of vacancies in the civil aviation regulator, Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is currently operating at about 55% of its sanctioned technical capacity. However, he explained that this was because many new posts have been created only recently. 'This year, we plan to recruit 190 more, with selection expected to conclude by end-October,' he said. 'Nonetheless, we're expediting the process and aiming to fill 90% of the vacancies soon.' According to a Rajya Sabha document, reviewed by ET, between 2022 and 2024, 441 posts were created in the DGCA, including 426 technical posts. In 2024, 84 operational posts were created in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) as part of a restructuring. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) recently added 840 posts for Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs), another Rajya Sabha document showed.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
AAIB probe into Air India crash transparent, totally unbiased: Ram Mohan Naidu
NEW DELHI: Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu backed the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) report and probe into the crash of Air India 171, terming the body 'unbiased', even as several lawmakers questioned him on the accident and on air safety. Ahmedabad: Wreckage of Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which was operating flight AI 171 from Ahmedabad to London, placed under tight security, seen a month after the tragedy, in Ahmedabad. (PTI) His comments in the Rajya Sabha came in the wake of a raft of reports in western media that have blamed the commander of the aircraft for the crash, claiming that he switched off fuel to the engines. AAIB's preliminary report identifies the fuel switches being in cut-off position as the reason for the engine failure, and paraphrases a conversation between the two pilots, with one asking the other whether he cut the fuel, and receiving a negative response. The report did not say what could have caused this, but said there was nothing wrong with either the engine or the aircraft. Also Read | 'Speculative': US transport safety body NTSB slams Air India crash media reports blaming pilot Replying to Rajya Sabha MP Ashokrao Chavan, Naidu said: ' AAIB got into the investigation right after the accident happened… they have started the process according to international standards… they have involved all subject matter experts… necessary people who are supposed to be participating in the investigation. They have gone through the first set of investigation processes and have given us the preliminary report.' To be sure, AAIB has responded to western media reports by clarifying that its preliminary report was only about the 'what' and not the 'why' or 'how'. The civil aviation minister said that definitive answers will only be available once the AAIB's final report is ready. Talking about the preliminary report and decoding of the black box of the B787 that crashed on June 12, Naidu said, ' Whenever these accidents happen and the black box gets damaged. It was always sent to the original equipment manufacturer and for decoding.' This time, he added, that the black box was decoded in the county for the first time and 'we have done it successfully'. Also Read: Two media houses get pilot bodies' notice for coverage of Air India crash report Replying to MP Anil Kumar Yadav Mandadi, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol, in a written reply, said that the data from one of the flight recorders of AI-171 (VT-ANB) has been downloaded in the Flight Recorder Lab of the AAIB at Udaan Bhawan. Naidu asked people to 'respect the process'. 'We want to stand by the truth. We want to find out what exactly happened and that is only going to be coming out once the final report (of AAIB) is placed. We have to respect the process of investigation and once that process has happened, then we can talk about what happened, how it happened and then corrective measures (can be taken),' the minister said. 'I can say this in the House and to the people of the country that AAIB has a very definitive and thorough rule-based process. They are very transparently looking at the (investigation) process right now and they are totally unbiased,' Naidu added. Referring to western media reports, he said: 'There have been multiple reports not only in India but also in the Western media, trying to air their own viewpoints and narratives but I want to tell you that the way we are seeing the investigation is through the facts. We want to stand by the truth and not what is happening with the pilots, Boeing, Air India or any other stakeholder'. We want to find out what exactly happened. We have to respect the process of investigation.' India's civil aviation regulator has always focused on safety, he said, replying to another question from Fauzia Khan: 'In terms of safety, DGCA has inspections which are planned, ramp inspections, spot checks, and night surveillance… they conduct safety audits…they keep monitoring all aircraft and airports…whenever such incidents happen… we ensure that there is no negligence and no incompetence on any of the processes, nd if something takes place because of the negligence then we take a serious actions on the operator and any necessary person and impose penalties..' Separately, in a written reply to MP John Brittas, Mrulidhar Mohol said, 'During the last six months, a total of nine show cause notices have been issued to Air India in connection with five identified safety violations. Enforcement action has been completed in respect of one violation. '
