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Time of India
15-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Air India 171 crash: Report ‘raises questions, offers no answers' Global Pilots' Body slams against guesswork on fuel cutoff
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) has expressed concern over the initial report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) regarding the Air India AI171 crash. According to the global pilots' body, the preliminary report 'raises several questions but offers no answers.' IFALPA cautioned against interpreting the early findings as conclusive, noting that any extrapolation at this stage would be speculative and could interfere with the ongoing investigation. In a statement issued on Monday, IFALPA reiterated its support for the AAIB's efforts and emphasised that the families of those who lost their lives 'deserve our collective professionalism.' It highlighted that the purpose of a preliminary report is to present early factual data and should not be used to form final conclusions. Fuel cutoff and cockpit confusion documented in report The AAIB report into the June 12 crash stated that both engine fuel switches of the London-bound Air India flight were turned off, leading to engine shutdowns. It further noted that cockpit voice recordings captured a moment of confusion, with one pilot asking the other why the fuel was cut. The response from the second pilot was that he did not do it. The report also confirmed that fuel samples collected from airport bowsers and storage tanks were tested at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation laboratory and were found to be satisfactory. The crash occurred just seconds after the plane took off from Ahmedabad airport and struck the residential quarters of doctors at BJ Medical College, killing 241 of the 242 onboard and several people on the ground, including nine students and their family members. No safety recommendations, IFALPA urges caution The preliminary report did not include any safety recommendations. IFALPA underlined that this is in line with ICAO Annex 13, which mandates the release of such reports within 30 days of the incident but does not expect safety conclusions this early in the process. 'Whilst this preliminary report by its very nature raises many questions, it does not provide answers,' the statement said. The association also urged all parties to refrain from speculation, stressing the importance of allowing the investigation to reach its final stage without outside interference. Debate grows, experts urge patience Following the release of the report, aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan speculated on NDTV that the incident may have been caused deliberately, citing the manual nature of the fuel switch mechanism. However, several former pilots and aviation analysts strongly opposed this view, stating it is premature to draw such conclusions without a full report. AAIB chief Aurobindo Handa also advised against hasty interpretations, stating that it would be inappropriate to assign blame until the investigation is investigations continue, global aviation bodies urge restraint and professionalism until all facts of the Air India crash are fully known.
India.com
13-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Pilots Unions Say Its Unfair To Blame Air India Crew For Plane Crash
India's pilot associations have slammed the 'reckless speculation' around the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash at Ahmedabad, as sections of the media have hinted that the pilots are to be blamed for the tragic incident. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) on Sunday condemned 'insinuations of pilot suicide' as baseless and insensitive, saying the crew acted in line with their training for an emergency. 'Speculation is irresponsible and cruel. There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage… invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete information is not only irresponsible, it is deeply insensitive,' ICPA said in a statement. The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) has already criticised the preliminary investigation report, calling the tone of the probe biased towards pilot error and lacking in transparency. They have demanded that line pilots be included in the investigation process, at least as observers, to ensure transparency and accountability. The pilots' associations have also questioned the selective media leaks hinting at pilot error ahead of the publication of the preliminary report. A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday stated that both engines of the Air India Dreamliner lost thrust after the two fuel cut-off switches moved from the 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' position, within seconds of take-off. The cockpit voice recorder has revealed that one of the pilots told the other that he did not turn off the fuel control switches. The fuel switches were then returned back to the RUN position just before the plane crashed. According to former AAIB director Aurobindo Handa, the report presents a factual timeline but does not identify what triggered the failure. 'Even though the report is out, it just contains the facts… what has gone on in those 30-odd seconds. It is nothing conclusive.' He pointed out that preliminary and final findings often differ in air crash investigations and that a deeper technical analysis is still required. 'We have seen the initial findings and the final findings — they are at variance in the majority of the investigations,' he explained. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also said on Saturday that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's report on the Air India crash was based on preliminary findings, and urged against reaching any conclusions until the final report is released.
Hans India
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Pilots' unions say it's unfair to blame Air India crew for plane crash
New Delhi: India's pilot associations have slammed the 'reckless speculation' around the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash at Ahmedabad, as sections of the media have hinted that the pilots are to be blamed for the tragic incident. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) on Sunday condemned 'insinuations of pilot suicide' as baseless and insensitive, saying the crew acted in line with their training for an emergency. 'Speculation is irresponsible and cruel. There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage… invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete information is not only irresponsible, it is deeply insensitive,' ICPA said in a statement. The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) has already criticised the preliminary investigation report, calling the tone of the probe biased towards pilot error and lacking in transparency. They have demanded that line pilots be included in the investigation process, at least as observers, to ensure transparency and accountability. The pilots' associations have also questioned the selective media leaks hinting at pilot error ahead of the publication of the preliminary report. A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday stated that both engines of the Air India Dreamliner lost thrust after the two fuel cut-off switches moved from the 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' position, within seconds of take-off. The cockpit voice recorder has revealed that one of the pilots told the other that he did not turn off the fuel control switches. The fuel switches were then returned back to the RUN position just before the plane crashed. According to former AAIB director Aurobindo Handa, the report presents a factual timeline but does not identify what triggered the failure. 'Even though the report is out, it just contains the facts… what has gone on in those 30-odd seconds. It is nothing conclusive.' He pointed out that preliminary and final findings often differ in air crash investigations and that a deeper technical analysis is still required. 'We have seen the initial findings and the final findings — they are at variance in the majority of the investigations,' he explained. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also said on Saturday that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's report on the Air India crash was based on preliminary findings, and urged against reaching any conclusions until the final report is released.
New Indian Express
13-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Too premature to draw conclusions on pilots' role from AI plane crash initial report: Former AAIB chief
NEW DELHI: It will be too premature to draw conclusions on the role of pilots from the preliminary investigation report into the fatal crash of Air India plane last month and the final report will mention about the most probable cause for the accident, former AAIB chief Aurobindo Handa said on Sunday. A day after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the crash that killed 260 people, he said, "We should allow AAIB to complete the investigation in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner." Handa has investigated more than 100 aircraft accidents, including the Air India Express plane crash in Kozhikode in 2020. "AAIB has done a good job. Going forward, they will now focus to find out as to why and how these fuel switches moved and whether there could have been any mechanical and/or electrical failures/malfunction," he told PTI. The report, released on Saturday, said the fuel switches of the crashed Boeing 787-8 plane's engines were cut off within a gap of one second, and later switched on. From the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did cut off the switch and the other pilot saying he did not do so. The report did not mention which pilot asked the question and which pilot responded. The co-pilot was Pilot Flying (PF), and the Pilot In Command (PIC) was Pilot Monitoring (PM) for the flight. "It will be too premature to draw any conclusions, including the role of one of the pilots from the AAIB's preliminary investigation report on Air India flight 171... we should allow AAIB to complete the investigation in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner," Handa said. The Pilot In Command (PIC) was 56-year-old Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and the First Officer was 32-year-old Clive Kundar. Sabharwal's flying experience with 787 was more than 8,596 hours, including 8,260 hours as PIC, while Kundar's flying experience with this type of aircraft was 1,128 hours.
Hans India
13-07-2025
- General
- Hans India
Preliminary report not enough to pinpoint cause of Air India plane crash: ex-AAIB chief
New Delhi: The preliminary findings into the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash at Ahmedabad are not enough to determine the exact cause of the accident, and investigators should not draw conclusions at this stage, former Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director, Group Captain Aurobindo Handa, has said. The Air India flight AI171 crashed just seconds after taking off into a medical college hostel building, killing 241 passengers and crew on board the plane and another 19 people on the ground. A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday stated that both engines lost thrust after the two fuel cut-off switches moved from the 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' position. However, the cockpit voice recorder has revealed that one of the pilots told the other that he did not turn off the fuel control switches. The fuel switches were then returned to the RUN position just before the plane crashed. Handa said the report presents a factual timeline but does not identify what triggered the failure. 'Even though the report is out, it just contains the facts… what has gone on in those 30-odd seconds. It is nothing conclusive,' he said during a panel discussion on NDTV Profit. He also pointed out that preliminary and final findings often differ in air crash investigations and that a deeper technical analysis is still required. 'We have seen the initial findings and the final findings -- they are at variance in the majority of the investigations,' he explained. Handa said the AAIB is expected to use a process of elimination to rule out functioning systems before identifying the most likely cause. The final report has to be submitted within 12 months, in accordance with the norms fixed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had also said on Saturday that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's report on the Air India crash was based on preliminary findings, and urged against reaching any conclusions until the final report is released.
