- By Raju Kumar
- Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:24 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Air India Plane Crash Report: The first report of the Air India plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad found that the tragedy took place due to fuel switches cutoff. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its report revealed that both switches feeding fuel to the two engines of the flight 171 were cut off followed by pilot confusion before the plane crashed in Ahmedabad, seconds after taking off on June 12. The preliminary report released on Saturday, recommended no action for now for the operators of Boeing 787-8 planes.
The preliminary report was widely anticipated to throw more light on what could have led to the crash, which was one of the worst in India in decades, and also it was the first accident involving a Boeing 787 aircraft that resulted in hull loss.
Here Are The Highlights Of The Report
1. The AAIB report found that one pilot asked why he had shut off the fuel, and the other responded he didn't do it. "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," it said.
2. The plane crashed around 30 seconds after take off, the AAIB report said.
3. The fuel samples taken from bowsers and tanks used to refuel the aircraft were tested at the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) Lab and were found satisfactory.
4. The aircraft took off at 08:08:39 UTC (13:38:39 IST) and at about 08:09:05 UTC (13:39:05 IST) one of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY'.
5. "The ATCO (Air Traffic Controller) enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response," the report stated.
6. Immediately after the aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed, "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 report highlighted, citing the plane's Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR).
7. The engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers," the report said.
8. The wreckage site activities, including drone photography/ videography have been completed and the wreckage has been moved to a secure area near the airport.
9. "Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage site and quarantined at a hangar in the airport. Components of interest for further examinations have been identified and quarantined," it said.
10. According to the report, fuel samples taken from the bowsers and tanks used to refuel the aircraft were tested at the DGCA's Lab and were found satisfactory. "Very limited amount of fuel samples could be retrieved from the APU filter and Refuel/Jettison valve of 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," it said.
