• Source:JND
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Air India Plane crash report: The cockpit voice recording of the ill-fated Air India crash in Ahmedabad last month suggests that the Captain might have shut off the fuel supply to the engines a few minutes after takeoff, claims a report by The Wall Street Journal, citing preliminary investigation findings.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau or AAIB said that both fuel control switches were switched to the cutoff position one after the other, within a second, at a low altitude, leading to an almost immediate loss of thrust. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed after just 32 seconds from takeoff, killing 260 individuals, including 19 on the ground. Fortunately, one passenger survived.

Pilot Chat Suggests Cockpit Confusion

The cockpit tape allegedly records the First Officer questioning the more senior Captain why the switches had been set to cutoff. The Wall Street Journal article quotes sources stating that the First Officer sounded panicky while the Captain remained calm. But the AAIB's initial report does not make clear if the action was intentional or unintentional and states that one of the pilots had denied moving the switches. Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has asked the public not to jump to conclusions until the final report. "There are technicalities involved. It will be premature to comment at this stage. Let us wait for the final report," said Naidu.

After the crash, Air India has conducted precautionary checks on the FCS locking mechanism on its entire Boeing 787-8 fleet as instructed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline asserted that no issues were identified during these tests. “All our Boeing 787-8 aircraft have also undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacements as per Boeing’s maintenance guidelines,” Air India informed while addressing its flight crew.

Human Error Or Technical Fault?

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) have both asked the public, media, and the authorities not to jump to conclusions. "Pre-judging an incident like this before there is a clear and data-driven investigation is premature and irresponsible," the FIP has said in a statement.

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Just hours before the crash, another pilot reported a 'Stabilizer Position Transducer Defect' in the same plane. According to experts cited by Reuters, the malfunction theoretically might transmit a spurious fuel cut-off signal, but any direct connection has not been identified yet. Closed-circuit video allegedly indicated that the backup power system of the aircraft was deployed, signaling a total loss of engine thrust a minute into the flight. Investigators found the fuel switches in the run position at the crash site, suggesting possible attempts to restart the engines.

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The two crew members on board, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, had a total flying experience of more than 19,000 hours. The accident is one of the deadliest involving Air India in recent times. While the investigation is ongoing, authorities and the pilots' unions reiterate that the probe should not be allowed to be clouded with speculation but reach a clear-cut finding.