'Bias towards pilot error': Pilots' association seeks fair, fact-based probe into Air India plane crash
The
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau
(AAIB) has released its preliminary report into the fatal Boeing 787-8 plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people. The report has found that the fuel supply to both engines of Air India flight AI171 was cut off within a second of each other, causing confusion in the cockpit and the airplane plummeting back to ground almost immediately after taking off.
The 15-page report says that in the cockpit voice recording, one unidentified pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel, which the other denied.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Vad är din bil värd? Värdeökningar upp till 60% under 2025!
KöpDinBil | Sökannonser
Få offert
Undo
"The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias towards pilot error... ALPA India categorically rejects this presumption and insists on a fair, fact-based inquiry," Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) said in a statement.
The association has also demanded that its representatives should be observers in the investigation process to ensure transparency and accountability.
Live Events
ALPA Indiais a member associate of the International Federation of Airline Pilots' Association (IFALPA).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
35 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"Pilots did everything right": Captain Umang N Jani on AI 171's crash report
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], July 12 (ANI): Captain Umang N Jani, Head of Department (HoD) Aviation at Indus University, on Saturday said that the pilots of the crashed Boeing 787-8 Air India flight 171 did 'everything right' by attempting to restart the engines. He said that the preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) mentions that the fuel switch was at the 'run' position. 'The pilot did everything right. It is part of the training that when engines fail, you attempt to restart them. The report also suggests that the fuel switch is in the run position. This aircraft has an FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) system in place. When you start the engine, there is a complete sequence that needs to be followed, and this system automatically follows this entire sequence,' Captain Jani told ANI. He informed that the engines stop working when the fuel supply stops, which makes such types of incidents possible. He said that the fuel switch is situated on the throttle quadrant in the aircraft, which was found to be in the 'run' position, indicating that the pilot tried to restart the engine. 'It mentions fuel cutoff. When the fuel supply stops, both engines stop working, and then the type of incident that happened is possible. If I talk about the throttle quadrant, there is a fuel cutoff switch here. In the crash, it has been found that the fuel switch was in the 'run' position. It seems that the pilot tried to restart the engine. This process of whether to supply fuel to the engine is controlled manually from the cockpit,' Jani added. 'Generally, the fuel switch is not put on cutoff after takeoff. This is done in two situations: normal and emergency. You put the switch on cutoff once the aircraft has landed and parked during normal times,' he stated. The Captain said that further investigation was required into the flight crash. 'This is a preliminary report. Now, there may be further investigation and the final report that will come, it is possible that we may get to see more information and more details in it,' Jani said. The AAIB's Preliminary Report, released on Friday, said that both the engines of the aircraft were moved from 'run' to 'cutoff' in quick succession, which resulted in the fuel supply being cut off. The report says that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cutoff, which the other pilot denied ever doing so. 'The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC, and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,' the preliminary report said. 'In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,' the report added. As per the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) accessed by the AAIB, engine 1's fuel cut switch transitioned from 'cutoff' to 'run' at about 8:08:52 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), and at 8:08:56 UTC, Engine 2's fuel switch also went from 'cutoff' to run'. According to the report, just 13 seconds later, at 8:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted the Mayday call, which the Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) enquired about, but did not receive a reply. Shortly after, the aircraft was observed crashing outside the airport boundary, and the emergency response was activated. The Airline Pilots' Association of India on Saturday also called for a 'fair, fact-based inquiry,' into the incident and rejected the 'tone and direction of the investigation' which suggested a bias towards pilot error. 'The report was leaked to the media without any responsible official signature or attribution. There is a lack of transparency in investigations as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team,' the association said in a statement. Notably, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol urged people not to draw conclusions based on the preliminary report. While speaking to mediapersons, the MoS said, 'The AAIB has brought out a preliminary report. This is not the final report. Until the final report comes out, we should not arrive at any conclusion. AAIB is an autonomous authority, and the ministry does not interfere in their work.' (ANI)
India Gazette
35 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"Cryptic in many ways": Expert Mark D Martin on Air India crash preliminary report
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Mark D Martin, Founder and CEO of an aviation safety and consulting firm, on Saturday said that the preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the Air India flight 171 crash was 'cryptic' in many ways. He argued that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) in the aircraft was only deployed in the event of engine failure. 'It is the initial report, and it is quite cryptic in many ways. It says a lot of points that don't add up. If there were an engine failure, that is only when the RAT deploys. When the RAT deploys, there is only one course to restart the engine,' Martin told ANI. He said that incidents of fuel switches tripping to the 'cutoff' position have been reported in the past. However, the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MROs) don't take seriously the circular issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but only the Airworthiness Directive (AD) and Service Bulletin (SB). 'It has been reported in the past that the fuel switches have been tripped and gone back to the cutoff position several times. There is also an FAA AIB, a circular that has been announced. The sad part is that most MROs and maintenance companies in the world don't take AIBs seriously. They take the seriousness to an AD or an SB. It could have been one of the reasons for this incident,' Martin said. 'We are still in the initial stage of investigation and still have 90 days for the full investigation report to come out,' he added. On Friday, India's AAIB released the preliminary report into the tragic crash of Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. The AI-171 flight, which was bound for London's Gatwick airport, crashed soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport. 260 people lost their lives in the accident, which included 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 people on the ground. The report outlines a harrowing sequence of events that unfolded within 90 seconds of takeoff, as both engines of the aircraft shut down unexpectedly during the initial climb, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust and rapid descent. (ANI)
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Lone Air India crash survivor seeks psychiatric help to overcome trauma
Many would think of him as one of the luckiest people alive in the world. But for Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the June 12 Air India plane crash, it has been a struggle to get over the monumental is now getting a psychiatrist's help to find a way of coping with the traumatic experience, his cousin the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner came down seconds after the take-off from the Ahmedabad airport, 40-year-old Vishwas, an Indian-origin British citizen, was the only passenger who walked away alive. His brother Ajay was amongst the 241 others onboard who perished, along with 19 people on the ground. The memories of the scenes of the crash site, his miraculous escape and his brother's death still hound Vishwas, said his cousin Sunny."Many people, including our relatives living abroad, call us to enquire about Vishwas's well-being. But he does not talk to anyone. He is yet to overcome the mental trauma of the crash and the death of his brother.""He still wakes up in the middle of the night and finds it difficult to fall asleep again. We took him to a psychiatrist two days ago to find a remedy. He has not made any plans yet to return to London because his treatment has just begun," Sunny was discharged from the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 17. On the same day, the mortal remains of his brother Ajay were handed over to the family after a DNA and Ajay were returning to London by Air India flight after visiting their family in Diu, a part of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and a video which surfaced on social media, he can be seen carrying his brother's mortal remains on his shoulders to the cremation ground in Diu on June 18.A day after the crash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vishwas at the hospital and enquired about his an interview with Doordarshan, Vishwas recounted that the aircraft seemed to have stalled within seconds of taking seat, 11A, was close to the emergency door on the left side, he said."Luckily, the portion of the plane where I was seated fell on the ground floor of the (medical college) hostel premises after the plane crash-landed. When I saw that the door was broken, I told myself that I could try and get out. Eventually, I came out," he told a viral video shot by a local person minutes after the crash, Kumar can be seen walking towards an ambulance, away from the debris. To walk away from the haunting memories would perhaps be more difficult.- EndsMust Watch
