Latest news with #cockpitrecording
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Air India says no issues found in checks of Boeing 787 fuel switches as attention turns to crash pilot
Air India has completed precautionary inspections of the fuel control switch locking mechanisms across its Boeing 787 and 737 fleet, the airline confirmed on Tuesday, reporting no issues. This action follows an ongoing probe into a devastating Air India crash, which killed 241 of 242 people on board and 19 on the ground. The investigation is focused on the fuel control switches of the Boeing 787 jetliner involved. These critical switches manage fuel flow to aircraft engines, allowing pilots to start or shut them down, or manually intervene during in-flight engine failures. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) expects its final report within a year. Air India began voluntary inspections of the switches on July 12. India's aviation regulator soon ordered all domestic carriers to conduct similar checks, prompting some foreign airlines and regulators to follow suit. A preliminary report from the AAIB earlier this month found the switches had almost simultaneously flipped from 'run' to 'cutoff' shortly after takeoff, causing the engines to lose power. The report cited a 2018 FAA advisory that urged operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking mechanism on fuel cutoff switches to prevent unintentional movement. The FAA and Boeing have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, Reuters had reported. Reuters reported last week, citing a source, that the cockpit recording on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick suggested the captain cut fuel to the engines. The AAIB has said it is too early to draw any conclusions. Air India operates a fleet of Boeing 787 twin-aisle jets on its long-haul operations, while low-cost unit Air India Express operates the Boeing 737 single-aisle jets.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New details in Air India crash probe shift focus to plane's captain, WSJ reports
(Reuters) -A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain turned off the switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The newspaper cited people familiar with U.S. officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the crash, which killed 260 people. The first officer, who was flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, asked the more experienced captain why he moved the switches to the "cutoff" position after it climbed off the runway, the report said. The first officer expressed surprise and then panicked, while the captain seemed to remain calm, the WSJ reported. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the report. The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. A preliminary report released last week by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the June 12 crash, and raised fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches. Solve the daily Crossword
