Latest news with #Boeing7
Arab Times
13-07-2025
- General
- Arab Times
Air India crash: Startling cockpit exchange deepens the mystery
NEW DELHI, July 13: Investigators probing the crash of Air India Flight 171, which killed 260 people in June, have uncovered a disturbing detail in the preliminary report: both of the aircraft's fuel-control switches were inexplicably moved to the "cut-off" position seconds after take-off, starving the engines and causing total power loss. This action, normally reserved for post-landing procedures, triggered a chain of events that led to one of India's most puzzling aviation disasters. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a 12-year-old aircraft, had just departed from Ahmedabad when it lost power and plummeted into a crowded neighborhood, remaining airborne for less than a minute. The cockpit voice recorder captured a pilot questioning the other with, 'Why did you do the cut-off?', to which the other replied he hadn't. It remains unclear who made the statement. At the time, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring. After the switches were returned to their flight position, the engines began to relight. However, only one had regained thrust before the crash. Investigators are now analyzing wreckage and cockpit recordings to determine what caused the switches to be moved to "cut-off" just after take-off. The report, compiled by Indian authorities with assistance from Boeing, General Electric, Air India, and experts from the US and UK, outlines that the lever-lock fuel switches on the aircraft are designed to be nearly impossible to activate accidentally. These switches are guarded and require a lift-and-turn action to engage. Experts say the likelihood of both switches being pulled by accident is extremely low. The mysterious dual switch-off has led to speculation about whether it was an intentional act, a case of confusion, or a potential technical malfunction. Shawn Pruchnicki, a former airline investigator and aviation expert at Ohio State University, noted that such an action typically requires an underlying issue, yet no abnormality was reported by the pilots before the engines lost power. Peter Goelz, former managing director of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), expressed concern over the cockpit voice recording, which so far has revealed only a single cryptic line of dialogue. He stressed the importance of full voice identification and a complete transcript, noting that investigators still don't know which pilot moved the switches. The case has reignited calls for cockpit video recorders, which could have clearly shown whose hand was on the switches at the time. Goelz emphasized that a visual recording could help answer critical questions that audio alone cannot. The investigation also references a 2018 advisory from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which warned that some Boeing 737 aircraft may have fuel control switches installed with disengaged locking mechanisms. Though not deemed unsafe, the advisory recommended inspections. Air India, operating the same switch design in its Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including the ill-fated VT-ANB, did not carry out these checks as they were not mandatory. Pruchnicki questioned whether a fault in the switch could allow it to disengage with a single action, though other experts, including Goelz, cautioned against drawing conclusions too quickly, noting a lack of pilot complaints on the issue. Another potential concern under review is whether the aircraft's electronic control unit could have triggered the switches electronically. Former Indian AAIB investigator Capt. Kishore Chinta raised this possibility, suggesting the switches may have been tripped without pilot involvement. The report confirmed that fuel samples taken from the aircraft were satisfactory, ruling out contamination, and noted no immediate advisories were issued for the Boeing 787 or its General Electric GEnx-1B engines. However, the aircraft's Ram Air Turbine (RAT) had deployed—a sign of total engine failure. This backup power source is triggered automatically when both engines shut down or all three hydraulic systems lose pressure. Another clue to the crash's rapid progression lies in the aircraft's landing gear, which was found down. A Boeing 787 pilot explained that retracting the gear typically completes within eight seconds of take-off, but given the quick onset of engine failure, the pilot likely had no time to initiate retraction. Investigators believe the crew attempted to recover the flight, with both engines switched back to "run" shortly after the cut-off, but the timing was insufficient. The left engine was relit first, followed by the right, which had not regained full power before the crash. For families of the victims, the report offers more questions than answers. Imtiyaz Ali, who lost four relatives in the crash, said the preliminary findings lacked clarity. 'It reads like a product description,' he said. 'Besides the last cockpit exchange, there's nothing definitive about what caused this.' Ali and others hope that more information will be released in the coming months. 'This matters to us,' he said. 'We want to know what happened—not that it will change anything now—but at least we'll have answers.'
Euronews
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
At least 17 killed in junta air strike on Myanmar school, reports say
At least 17 people have been killed in an air strike by Myanmar's military junta on a village in the central Sagaing region, according to several reports on Monday. The death toll from the Monday morning bombing on Ohe Htein Twin village in the region's Tabayin township, also known as Depayin, reported by independent media in Myanmar ranged from 17 to more than 20. Others reported that the morning attack killed at least 22 students and two teachers and wounded dozens of others. A member of the White Depeyin People's Defence Force resistance group fighting against military rule said a fighter jet dropped a bomb directly onto the school, where students from primary to high school levels were studying. The area is about 115 kilometres northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. The resistance fighter, who rushed to the site of the attack to help the victims, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was afraid of being arrested by the military. He said that 20 students and two teachers were killed in the attack on the school, which is operated by the country's pro-democracy movement, and some 50 others were wounded. Three nearby houses were also damaged. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity Government, said he received the same information on the number of casualties and warned the death toll could rise. The organisation is the main opposition group coordinating resistance to military rule. Sagaing region, near the border with India, has been a stronghold of armed resistance and the military in recent years has stepped up air strikes against the local pro-democracy People's Defence Forces. The resistance has no effective defence against air attacks. Neither the military government nor state-controlled media have released any information about the reported air strike. The junta has increasingly used air strikes to counter a widespread armed resistance against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 6,600 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces since then, according to figures compiled by non-governmental organisations. In September 2022, aerial attacks by the military's helicopters against a school and village in Let Yet Kone village in the same township killed at least 13 people, including seven children. Air strikes in April 2023 killed as many as 160 people, including children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region's Kanbalu township. Air strikes in Myanmar garnered increased attention recently when numerous reports deemed credible by the United Nations and human rights groups said that they continued to be carried out in the wake of the devastating 28 March earthquake, after which the military and resistance groups declared ceasefires to facilitate relief efforts. US President Donald Trump has indicated he is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a present from the ruling family of Qatar during his upcoming trip to the Middle East this week. As US officials say the jet could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft — the famed Air Force One, questions arose over what would constitute an immensely expensive gift donated from a foreign government to a serving official. While the Qatari government said a final decision hasn't yet been reached, Trump defended the idea as a fiscally smart move in a post shared on his Truth Social platform Sunday. 'So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a gift, free of charge, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, top dollar, for the plane,' said Trump, adding 'anybody can do that.' According to ABC News, the US president would use the aircraft as his plane until right before he leaves office in January 2029 — when ownership would be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library. Qatar's media attaché, Ali Al-Ansari, said that a decision had not yet been reached, while 'the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments" of Qatar's Ministry of Defence and its US counterpart. According to ABC, officials from the Trump administration have prepared an analysis which demonstrates that accepting the plane would be legal. However, the US Constitution's Emoluments Clause bars anyone in government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any 'king, prince, or foreign state' without congressional consent. The US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poked fun at Trump's 'America first' political slogan, stating 'nothing says 'America First' like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar." 'It's not just bribery, it's premium foreign influence with extra legroom,' added Schumer. Other lawmakers also expressed dismay online, noting that an aircraft being offered by a foreign government could present security risks if used by a US president. The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems which allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world. Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said such a gift would be 'unprecedented". 'The totality of gifts given to a president over their term doesn't get close to this level,' Libowitz said.
