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Time of India
11-07-2025
- Time of India
Air India crash: Preliminary report expected today, early findings point to fuel control error & engine power loss; details inside
It has been a month since the Air India 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on June 12. The London-bound flight ended in tragedy, claiming the lives of 260 people, with only one survivor. Since then, families and officials alike have awaited answers about what went wrong. The preliminary investigation report is expected to be released today, marking an important step in understanding the cause of the fatal crash. Timeline and what happened According to officials, the aircraft took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at around 1:38 PM. Moments after departure, the pilot issued a 'Mayday' call, and the plane crashed into the rooftop of a medical college hostel, followed by an explosion. Key flight data, including the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—commonly referred to as black boxes—were recovered from the crash site. Both were found intact and are now being analyzed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing. The Investigation report yet to be made public on Friday about the cause of Air India crash is focusing on the movement of the engine fuel control switches. The co-pilot mistakenly cut off fuel supply to one of the engines and the Captain activated Auto pilot mode at a wrong altd What investigators are looking into Initial speculation pointed to engine failure. However, recent updates indicate that the focus has shifted to the cockpit's fuel control switches and engine thrust management. These switches, placed at the center console, are used to activate and deactivate the plane's GE Aerospace engines. A Bloomberg report noted that investigators have not found any design or mechanical issues with the aircraft or its engines. But questions remain about how both engines could fail simultaneously—a scenario experts consider highly unlikely. Aviation analyst Bjorn Fehrm, a former fighter pilot, commented on a video of the crash, noting, 'Everything is normal until they don't put in the (landing) gear, and very shortly after the aircraft is losing thrust.' Fehrm added, 'But as to scenarios where both engines power down simultaneously? That's improbable like hell.' Fuel switches under scrutiny The latest line of inquiry involves whether the fuel control switches were deliberately or accidentally moved. Aviation safety expert John Cox told Reuters that it is very unlikely a pilot would accidentally hit those switches. 'You can't bump them and they move,' he said. However, he also described a possible scenario: if one engine failed and the pilot attempted to switch it off but mistakenly shut off the functioning engine instead, it could result in both engines shutting down within seconds. Report may offer first clarity The preliminary findings are expected to bring some initial clarity into the causes of the crash that killed 241 passengers and nearly two dozen crew members. While the full investigation may take months, today's report will serve as the first official indication of what might have led to the the first findings emerge, investigators may finally uncover what triggered the deadly crash just seconds after takeoff.
Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Straits Times
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The pilot issued one mayday alert before Flight AI 171 crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad on June 12. NEW DELHI – A month after the worst aviation accident in India in decades, the authorities are poised to release a preliminary report into the catastrophe, offering the first official clues to what caused the aircraft to plummet back to the ground just 30 seconds after taking off. Investigators have revealed very few details since the Air India accident, and the report also stands to be basic and factual – if previous initial findings are any guide. The authorities are unlikely to draw definitive conclusions or assign blame, as their work continues in the coming months to piece together a complicated puzzle of what happened on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on June 12. What is known is that the aircraft, fully loaded with fuel, quickly lost altitude and slammed into a hostel for medical students, where it exploded, killing all but one of the 242 individuals on board and more than 30 people on the ground. The pilot issued one mayday alert before Flight AI 171 crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad. Videos that have circulated widely of the plane's takeoff and brief time in the air show that 'everything is normal until they don't put in the (landing) gear, and very shortly after the aircraft is losing thrust', said Mr Bjorn Fehrm, an aerospace analyst and former fighter pilot. What is unusual is that the power loss appears to be simultaneous in both engines. There was no puff of smoke that would indicate a bird strike, or yaw by the aircraft that would be typical if one engine failed first. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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'That's improbable like hell,' Mr Fehrm said. Some potential key factors have begun to emerge, despite a lack of briefings or updates from the local government or India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe. Both the cockpit voice and the flight data recorders were retrieved from the wreckage , and their content was extracted by the authorities. One particular line of inquiry is the movement of fuel control switches that sit in the centre console of the cockpit, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke confidentially because the information is not yet public. The devices are used to turn fuel supply on and off to two engines made by GE Aerospace. It remains unknown whether the pilots toggled the switches – either inadvertently or intentionally – and when during the flight the movement may have occurred. The detail was first reported by The Air Current, an aviation trade publication. The Wall Street Journal reported on July 10 preliminary findings indicated the fuel switches were turned off, though it was unclear whether that was accidental or intentional and whether any effort was made to turn them back on, according to people familiar with the situation. A representative for GE Aerospace declined to comment. Boeing referred questions to the AAIB. The National Transportation Safety Board also referred questions to Indian authorities. Engine failure? Aviation accidents are usually caused by multiple factors, and investigators are exploring a wide range of aspects related to the crash. So far, investigators also have not found any evidence that would suggest the crash was caused by a design or mechanical problem with the Boeing aircraft or the GE engines, according to the people familiar with the matter. They pointed to the fact that neither company nor the US Federal Aviation Administration has sent out any notices or safety bulletins to operators, which they said would normally occur quickly if an issue that could impact other 787s in operation was identified. The people conducting the probe are also looking at the backgrounds and experience of the pilots, a normal step for this kind of investigation. The aircraft was in the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had 8,200 and 1,100 flight hours, respectively, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It is widely assumed that the doomed 787 had a dual engine failure, especially after early evidence indicates that an emergency backup power source, known as the ram air turbine, was deployed. But restarting the engines at the low altitude and speed at which the 787 found itself just seconds after takeoff was not feasible, pilots say, meaning that the cockpit crew simply did not have enough time to bring the engines back to life. Mr John Cox, a former airline pilot who is now chief executive officer of consultancy Safety Operating Systems, said moving a switch to the cutoff position would shut off fuel supply to an engine. A dual failure would occur if the switches for both engines on the 787 were shifted. 'If you move those switches from run to cutoff, those engines will stop running in literally seconds,' Mr Cox said. A deliberate moving of the switches cannot be ruled out, he said. But there are also other possible scenarios, including that one engine failed and the pilot reached down to flip the switch for that engine but instead shifted the switch for the good engine. It would not be the first time this kind of mishap occurred. A Delta Air Lines pilot in the 1980s mistakenly cut off fuel to the engines of the Boeing 767 he was flying. But, in that case, he was able to restart them because the aircraft was higher in the sky, avoiding catastrophe. Pilots may also move the fuel switches in response to a dual engine failure. An emergency checklist that pilots need to commit to memory instructs aviators to cycle the fuel switches to cutoff and then back to run in the event of such a failure. Moving the levers to cut off and back on allows the electronic engine control system to reset, according to several pilots who fly the airplane and spoke to Bloomberg. BLOOMBERG
Time of India
11-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Air India crash: Report may explain what went wrong; peek into final moments expected
NEW DELHI: A month after the deadliest aviation accident, the Air India 171 crash, a preliminary report is expected from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), offering the first official insight into the cause of the Air India crash . The incident involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that went down just 30 seconds after takeoff in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 people on board and over 30 on the ground. Only one passenger survived. The probe has been closely followed, with Bloomberg reporting fresh details citing people familiar with the matter. While the report is likely to be factual and restrained in tone, it could provide critical early clues. Authorities are not expected to assign blame yet, as a full investigation is ongoing. According to Bloomberg, investigators have retrieved both the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, and have extracted their contents. Top Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) officials told the panel that the aircraft's black box and voice recorder were recovered and were being analysed. Boeing and other international experts are assisting with the ongoing investigation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Experience Macau's spice heritage through Chef Justin Paul's cooking. MGTO Undo What happened in the final 30 seconds? The aircraft, fully loaded with fuel, lost altitude rapidly and crashed into a student hostel near the airport, leading to a massive explosion. The pilot of Flight AI 171 had issued a mayday call before the crash. Videos of the takeoff showed the flight initially proceeding normally. But according to aerospace analyst Bjorn Fehrm, the landing gear was never retracted and the aircraft began to lose thrust shortly after liftoff. 'That's improbable like hell,' he said, referring to what appeared to be a simultaneous failure of both engines — an extremely rare event. Focus on fuel control switches According to Bloomberg, one of the primary lines of inquiry is the possible movement of the fuel control switches, located in the cockpit's centre console. These switches control the fuel supply to the engines, which are made by GE Aerospace. The Wall Street Journal has also reported that preliminary findings suggest the switches were turned off although it remains unclear whether that happened accidentally or intentionally. Experts say that turning the switches to the cutoff position would stop fuel flow, shutting down the engines in seconds. John Cox, a former airline pilot and now CEO of Safety Operating Systems, told Bloomberg: 'If you move those switches from run to cutoff, those engines will stop running in literally seconds.' He said the possibility of an unintentional switch movement cannot be ruled out. No mechanical fault identified so far According to people cited by Bloomberg, no evidence has emerged yet of a mechanical or design fault in the Boeing aircraft or GE engines. Neither the FAA nor the manufacturers have issued safety advisories, which typically follow if a broader operational risk is detected. Pilots say the crew likely had too little time and altitude to restart the engines. A key emergency backup device — the ram air turbine — was deployed, which further supports the theory of a dual engine failure. Pilot experience and human factors Investigators are also examining the background and experience of the cockpit crew, which is standard procedure. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had logged 8,200 flight hours, while First Officer Clive Kunder had about 1,100 hours, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Cox told Bloomberg that accidental shutdowns have occurred in the past. In one 1980s case involving a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767, a pilot mistakenly turned off both engines but was able to restart them thanks to the aircraft's higher altitude. Another possibility, pilots told Bloomberg, is that the fuel switches were cycled in response to a dual engine failure as part of an emergency checklist but recovery was not feasible due to the jet's low altitude. As the investigation continues, the preliminary findings are expected to open critical discussions around human error, technical systems, and emergency protocols in modern aviation.
NDTV
11-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
Air India Crash Probe To Offer Peek Into Jet's Final Moments
A month after the worst aviation accident in India in decades, authorities are poised to release a preliminary report into the catastrophe, offering the first official clues to what caused the aircraft to plummet back to the ground just 30 seconds after taking off. Investigators have revealed very few details since the Air India accident, and the report also stands to be basic and factual - if previous initial findings are any guide. Authorities are unlikely to draw definitive conclusions or assign blame, as their work continues in the coming months to piece together a complicated puzzle of what happened on the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner on June 12. What is known is that the aircraft, fully loaded with fuel, quickly lost altitude and slammed into a hostel for medical students, where it exploded, killing all but one of the 242 individuals on board and more than 30 people on the ground. The pilot issued one mayday alert before Flight AI 171 crashed in Ahmedabad. Videos that have circulated widely of the plane's takeoff and brief time in the air show that "everything is normal until they don't put in the (landing) gear, and very shortly after the aircraft is losing thrust," said Bjorn Fehrm, an aerospace analyst and former fighter pilot. What's unusual is that the power loss appears to be simultaneous in both engines - there's no puff of smoke that would indicate a bird strike, or yaw by the aircraft that would be typical if one engine failed first. The 787 Dreamliner and other commercial planes have more than enough power to complete a takeoff on a single engine, and pilots are well-prepared for that event. But as to scenarios where both engines power down simultaneously? "That's improbable like hell," Fehrm said. Some potential key factors have begun to emerge, despite a lack of briefings or updates from the local government or India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe. Both the cockpit voice and the flight data recorders were retrieved from the wreckage, and their content was extracted by Indian authorities. One particular line of inquiry is the movement of fuel control switches that sit in the center console of the cockpit, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke confidentially because the information isn't yet public. The devices are used to turn fuel supply on and off to two engines made by GE Aerospace. It remains unknown whether the pilots toggled the switches - either inadvertently or intentionally - and when during the flight the movement may have occurred. The detail was first reported by The Air Current, an aviation trade publication. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday preliminary findings indicated the fuel switches were turned off, though its unclear whether that was accidental or intentional and whether any effort was made to turn them back on, according to people familiar with the situation. A representative for GE Aerospace declined to comment. Boeing referred questions to the AAIB. The National Transportation Safety Board also referred questions to Indian authorities. India's air accident authority didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Aviation accidents are usually caused by multiple factors and investigators are exploring a wide range of aspects related to the crash. So far, investigators also haven't found any evidence that would suggest the crash was caused by a design or mechanical problem with the Boeing aircraft or the GE engines, according to the people familiar with the matter. They pointed to the fact that neither company, nor the US Federal Aviation Administration, has sent out any notices or safety bulletins to operators, which they said would normally occur quickly if an issue that could impact other 787s in operation was identified. The people conducting the probe are also looking at the backgrounds and experience of the pilots - a normal step for this kind of investigation. The aircraft was in the command of captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had 8,200 and 1,100 flight hours, respectively, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It's widely assumed that the doomed 787 had a dual engine failure, especially after early evidence indicates that an emergency backup power source, known as the ram air turbine, was deployed. But restarting the engines at the low altitude and speed at which the 787 found itself just seconds after takeoff wasn't feasible, pilots say, meaning that the cockpit crew simply didn't have enough time to bring the engines back to life. John Cox, a former airline pilot who's now the chief executive officer of consultancy Safety Operating Systems, said that moving a switch to the cutoff position would shut off fuel supply to an engine. A dual failure would occur if the switches for both engines on the 787 were shifted. "If you move those switches from run to cutoff, those engines will stop running in literally seconds," Cox said. A deliberate moving of the switches can't be ruled out, he said. But there are also other possible scenarios, including that one engine failed and the pilot reached down to flip the switch for that engine, but instead shifted the switch for the good engine. It wouldn't be the first time this kind of mishap occurred - a Delta Air Lines Inc. pilot in the 1980s mistakenly cut off fuel to the engines of the Boeing 767 he was flying. But in that case, he was able to restart them because the aircraft was higher in the sky, avoiding catastrophe. Pilots may also move the fuel switches in response to a dual engine failure. An emergency checklist that pilots need to commit to memory instructs aviators to cycle the fuel switches to cutoff and then back to run in the event of such a failure. Moving the levers to cut off and back on allows the electronic engine control system to reset, according to several pilots who fly the airplane and spoke to Bloomberg.
Mint
11-07-2025
- General
- Mint
Air India Crash Report to Offer Insight Into Fateful Seconds
(Bloomberg) -- A month after the worst aviation accident in India in decades, authorities are poised to release a preliminary report into the catastrophe, offering the first official clues to what caused the aircraft to plummet back to the ground just 30 seconds after taking off. Investigators have revealed very few details since the Air India accident, and the report also stands to be basic and factual — if previous initial findings are any guide. Authorities are unlikely to draw definitive conclusions or assign blame, as their work continues in the coming months to piece together a complicated puzzle of what happened on the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner on June 12. What is known is that the aircraft, fully loaded with fuel, quickly lost altitude and slammed into a hostel for medical students, where it exploded, killing all but one of the 242 individuals on board and more than 30 people on the ground. The pilot issued one mayday alert before Flight AI 171 crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad. Videos that have circulated widely of the plane's takeoff and brief time in the air show that 'everything is normal until they don't put in the (landing) gear, and very shortly after the aircraft is losing thrust,' said Bjorn Fehrm, an aerospace analyst and former fighter pilot. What's unusual is that the power loss appears to be simultaneous in both engines — there's no puff of smoke that would indicate a bird strike, or yaw by the aircraft that would be typical if one engine failed first. The 787 Dreamliner and other commercial planes have more than enough power to complete a takeoff on a single engine, and pilots are well-prepared for that event. But as to scenarios where both engines power down simultaneously? 'That's improbable like hell,' Fehrm said. Some potential key factors have begun to emerge, despite a lack of briefings or updates from the local government or India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe. Both the cockpit voice and the flight data recorders were retrieved from the wreckage, and their content was extracted by Indian authorities. One particular line of inquiry is the movement of fuel control switches that sit in the center console of the cockpit, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke confidentially because the information isn't yet public. The devices are used to turn fuel supply on and off to two engines made by GE Aerospace. It remains unknown whether the pilots toggled the switches — either inadvertently or intentionally — and when during the flight the movement may have occurred. The detail was first reported by The Air Current, an aviation trade publication. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday preliminary findings indicated the fuel switches were turned off, though it's unclear whether that was accidental or intentional and whether any effort was made to turn them back on, according to people familiar with the situation. A representative for GE Aerospace declined to comment. Boeing referred questions to the AAIB. The National Transportation Safety Board also referred questions to Indian authorities. Boeing and the NTSB have been assisting the investigation, though the Indian authorities have taken the lead role in the probe. India's air accident authority didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Aviation accidents are usually caused by multiple factors and investigators are exploring a wide range of aspects related to the crash. So far, investigators also haven't found any evidence that would suggest the crash was caused by a design or mechanical problem with the Boeing aircraft or the GE engines, according to the people familiar with the matter. They pointed to the fact that neither company, nor the US Federal Aviation Administration, has sent out any notices or safety bulletins to operators, which they said would normally occur quickly if an issue that could impact other 787s in operation was identified. The people conducting the probe are also looking at the backgrounds and experience of the pilots — a normal step for this kind of investigation. The aircraft was in the command of captain Sumeet Sabharwal and first officer Clive Kunder, who had 8,200 and 1,100 flight hours, respectively, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It's widely assumed that the doomed 787 had a dual engine failure, especially after early evidence indicates that an emergency backup power source, known as the ram air turbine, was deployed. But restarting the engines at the low altitude and speed at which the 787 found itself just seconds after takeoff wasn't feasible, pilots say, meaning that the cockpit crew simply didn't have enough time to bring the engines back to life. John Cox, a former airline pilot who's now chief executive officer of consultancy Safety Operating Systems, said that moving a switch to the cutoff position would shut off fuel supply to an engine. A dual failure would occur if the switches for both engines on the 787 were shifted. 'If you move those switches from run to cutoff, those engines will stop running in literally seconds,' Cox said. A deliberate moving of the switches can't be ruled out, he said. But there are also other possible scenarios, including that one engine failed and the pilot reached down to flip the switch for that engine but instead shifted the switch for the good engine. It wouldn't be the first time this kind of mishap occurred — a Delta Air Lines Inc. pilot in the 1980s mistakenly cut off fuel to the engines of the Boeing 767 he was flying. But in that case he was able to restart them because the aircraft was higher in the sky, avoiding catastrophe. Pilots may also move the fuel switches in response to a dual engine failure. An emergency checklist that pilots need to commit to memory instructs aviators to cycle the fuel switches to cutoff and then back to run in the event of such a failure. Moving the levers to cut off and back on allows the electronic engine control system to reset, according to several pilots who fly the airplane and spoke to Bloomberg. Follow Bloomberg India on WhatsApp for exclusive content and analysis on what billionaires, businesses and markets are doing. Sign up here. --With assistance from Mihir Mishra, Mary Schlangenstein and Danny Lee. (Updates with investigation detail. An earlier version of this story was corrected to fix a spelling error) More stories like this are available on
