Latest news with #fuel cutoff
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Investigators Release Cause of Fatal Air India Crash. It's Bizarre
The Air India plane crash was one of the worst air disasters in aviation history. At least 260 people died, including 19 on the ground, although one passenger miraculously survived the wreck. The plane was captured on video crashing into a building shortly after takeoff. But why? Now, investigators have come up with a cause for the plane crash, and it's bizarre. They believe the fuel switches were turned off. According to the Seattle Times, shutting down the fuel switches cut power to the plane's engines. The plane reached top speed 30 seconds into takeoff. At that point, 'the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another' within a second's time, the report says, according to the Hill. The Hill noted that it's not clear what made the switches cut off. The New York Times reported that "seconds after takeoff and moments before an Air India flight crashed last month, the fuel was cut off to both engines." The Times added that the findings "raised questions about the pilots' actions and appeared to rule out mechanical failure or design flaws." The cockpit recording captures a pilot asking another why he cut off the fuel, but he denies doing so, according to The Times. After being cut off, the switches were turned back on, but it was too late, the Times reported. There are locks on the switches to prevent them being moved accidentally, the newspaper added. According to BBC, the report also outlined how, in 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a special bulletin warning that some Boing 737 fuel control switches "were installed with the locking feature disengaged." That bulletin was advisory, so Air India never performed recommended inspections, BBC Noted. The switches being turned off abruptly cut off "the plane's thrust at 180 knots," according to BBC. Other reports say a mechanical issue is still on the table. It remains a mystery whether the switches were flipped due to "human error or a rare mechanical malfunction," BBC Release Cause of Fatal Air India Crash. It's Bizarre first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 12, 2025
BreakingNews.ie
12-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Fuel switches cut off before Air India crash, preliminary report says
Fuel supplies to the engines of the Air India jet that crashed last month, killing 241 people on board, were cut off apparently without either pilot having switched them off, a preliminary report into the disaster said. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off on June 12th in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. Advertisement The report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, published late on Friday, said the jet was carrying 54,200kg of fuel, which was within the 'allowable limits'. Officials inspect the site of the Air India plane, which crashed onto the roof of a building in Ahmedabad (Ajit Solanki/AP) The report then said: '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. 'In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.' Referring to data recovered from the plane's two Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR), it went on: 'As per the EAFR, the Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN at about 08:08:52 UTC. The APU Inlet Door began opening at about 08:08:54 UTC, consistent with the APU Auto Start logic. Advertisement 'Thereafter, at 08:08:56 UTC the Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitions from CUTOFF to RUN. When fuel control switches are moved from CUTOFF to RUN while the aircraft is inflight, each engine's full authority dual engine control (FADEC) automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction.' While the engines started to recover, one of the pilots transmitted 'mayday, mayday, mayday' before the jet was observed by air traffic control to crash outside the airport. Some 241 people on board were killed in the crash, and one passenger survived, while 19 other people also died and 67 were seriously injured. The plane crashed and struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad. Advertisement The report states: 'The aircraft was destroyed due to impact with the buildings on the ground and subsequent fire. 'A total of five buildings were impacted and suffered major structural and fire damages.' Onlookers watch over the wreckage of an Air India plane lying atop a building in Ahmedabad, India (Rafiq Maqbool/AP) The only surviving passenger was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay. Both pilots, who were based at Mumbai and had arrived in Ahmedabad the previous day, had taken an 'adequate rest period' before the flight. Advertisement The crew, who had been given a breath analyser test earlier, were recorded as fit to operate the flight. No significant bird activity was spotted near the flight path, and the aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall. Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage and quarantined at a hangar in the nearby airport. Investigators have identified 'components of interest for further examinations,' the report says. Advertisement Fuel samples that were taken from tanks used to refuel the aircraft were 'satisfactory'. The report added: 'Very limited amount of fuel samples could be retrieved from the APU filter and Refuel/Jettison valve of the left wing. 'The testing of these samples will be done at a suitable facility capable of carrying out the test with the limited available quantity.' Statements have been taken from Mr Ramesh and witnesses by the investigators, who will also be looking at the post-mortem reports of the crew and the passengers. This is being done 'to corroborate aeromedical findings with the engineering appreciation,' the report adds. An Air India spokesman said: 'Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.' The spokesman added: 'Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. 'We continue to fully co-operate with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and other authorities as their investigation progresses. 'Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB.'
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Engine fuel cutoff moments before Air India plane crash, preliminary report reveals
Fuel control switches were switched from "run" to "cutoff", before an Air India plane crashed last month, a preliminary investigation report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Burea revealed early on Saturday. Shortly after takeoff, and once the plane reached its top recorded speed of 180 knots, 'the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another" within a second, which caused a loss of engine thrust moments after it left the runway, the report revealed. Shortly after both switches had been turned off, they were flipped back into the run position. One of the pilots transmitted "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY," however, the plane could not gain power quickly enough after it had begun to lose altitude. The flight lasted around 30 seconds before it crashed. The report also revealed that, prior to the crash, one pilot could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking why the other had cut off the fuel. The other pilot responded that he had not done so. The report does not state how the switch could have been flipped to the cut-off position, and did not recommend any actions to the Boeing. Engine switches are usually used by pilots to manually start or stop engines on the ground, or in the case of engine failure during a flight. Aviation experts revealed that it is not possible to accidentally move the switches, due to their placement behind the thrust levers and the designed locking mechanism to avoid accidental switch-off. On June 12, the Air India, London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Shortly after crossing the airport perimeter wall, the aircraft starting losing altitude, and eventually crashed into a medical staff hostel. The plane was carrying 230 passengers, everyone on board except for one passenger was killed. Air India said it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash. 'Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses,' it said in a statement.
