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New Delhi, India – Just a few moments before a Fatal Air India crash On June 12, fuel control switches from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the cockpit mysteriously went from the “race” to the “cut” position, an early investigation In the disaster revealed.
The cutting in cutout almost immediately cuts the engines. The report of the survey, published early by the office of the India airplane accident investigation (AAIB), noted that the two engines stopped in the space of a second, resulting in immediate loss of altitude.
The report does not conclude any reason for the switches to move or distribute the Flight 171 crash of Air India, which was for Gatwick Airport in London.
On the contrary, the new details emerging from the report, including the vocal recordings of the cockpit, seem to have aggravated the mystery of what caused the accident.
This is what the report has found and what we know at the last minute before the plane had crashed.
What happened on June 12?
At 13:38 (08:08 GMT) In the afternoon of June 12, the Dreamliner left Ahmedabad for London Gatwick with 230 passengers, 10 cabin members and 2 drivers on board.
Less than 40 seconds later, the plane lost the two engines during its initial climb.
In the first incident of this type for a 787 Dreamliner, the plane crashed into the inn of the BJ Medical College and the adjacent structures in a densely populated suburb of the city, just under a nautical mile (equivalent to approximately 1.85 km) of the track.
The plane separated on the impact, triggering a fire which destroyed parts of five buildings. All people except one aboard the plane were killed. THE unique survivor Was Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a 40 -year -old British national of Indian origin.
Some 19 people on the ground were also killed and 67 were injured.
What has the investigation revealed?
The AAIB, an office of the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation, conducts the investigation of the deadliest aviation accident in the world in a decade. The survey is also joined by experts from Boeing and participants from the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to the preliminary report, the plane was considered to be in navigation, its valid navigability examination certificate until May 2026. Routine interview had been carried out and no dangerous goods were on board.
However, the investigators noted a previous lawyer from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from December 2018 concerning a potential defect in the airplane control switching system – highlighting the potential disengagement of the locking function.
The Air India Crash report noted that this opinion had been invited by reports from Boeing 737 operators, stressing that fuel control switches had been installed with their disengaged locking mechanisms.
Air India told investigators that no inspection had been carried out in response to this Saib, because compliance was not compulsory.
The report noted that the plane butterfly control module was replaced in 2019 and again in 2023. However, these replacements were not linked to the fuel control switch, and no defect concerning the switch has been reported since 2023, the report has highlighted.
Key systems such as the Air Ram (RAT) turbine and the auxiliary power supply unit (APU) were engaged and tried to recover automatically, but only the partial desire of the engine was made before the aircraft was crushed.
What does the cockpit audio recording reveal?
Shortly after takeoff, the two engines stop almost simultaneously, while the fuel control switches inexplicably passed from “run” to “cut”.
The recordings of the cockpit voice captured one pilot questioning the other: “Why did you cut?”
The other pilot replied that he had not done so.
The pilots quickly tried to recover control: fuel switches were returned to “run”; The Air Ram (RAT) turbine has been deployed; And the auxiliary power supply unit (APU) automatically triggered.
According to the report, the engine 1 started to turn on, but the engine 2 failed to resume the thrust. A few seconds before the impact, a panic “Mayday Mayday Mayday“The call was transmitted.
What observed air traffic control?
Ahmedabad’s air traffic control officer received no response after Mayday’s call signal, but observed the plane crashed outside the airport border.
Airport video surveillance images have shown that the air ram turbine of the plane (RAT) is deployed during the initial climb immediately after takeoff. The plane then began to lose altitude before crossing the wall of the airport perimeter.
The report did not determine whether the fuel switch closed was mechanical or accidental. Investigators did not “buffer” the vocal recording – identified that speaks – of the cockpit.
Who were the pilots?
Captain Sameet Sabharwal, the 56 -year -old joint pilot (PIC), had a wide experience with 15,638 hours of total flight, including 8,596 hours on the Boeing 787, of which 8,260 hours were as a peak.
The co -pilot, or first officer, was Clive Kunder. The 32 -year -old man had accumulated 3,403 hours of flight, including 1,128 hours on the B787, all co -pilot. Its endorsements included C172 and PA-34 as a peak and A320 and B787 as a co-pilot.
On the day of the accident, Kunder was the driver piloting the Dreamliner while Sabharwal acted as a pilot surveillance, responsible for the support of the flight by communication with air traffic control and system surveillance.
This is a second calendar per second of the last moments of flight 171:
08:07:33 (GMT): authorized for takeoff of the Ahmedabad track 23.
08:07:37: planes start the Roll-Roll.
08:08:33: The plane reaches V1 (153 knots).
08:08:35: The plane reached VR (155 knots) for rotation.
08:08:39: the take -off recorded.
08:08:42: Aircraft peaks at its maximum recorded speed of 180 knots; The two engine fuel switches suddenly switch to “cut”.
08:08:47: Motors lose power; The rat unfolds to provide emergency hydraulics.
08:08:52: The engine fuel switch 1 is returned to “execute”.
08:08:54: The APU entrance door begins to open (automatic start -up initiates).
08:08:56: The engine fuel switch 2 also moved “run”.
08:09:05: The pilot transmits “Mayday Mayday Mayday”.
08:09:11: recorded final data; The plane touches the floor.
According to the report on Saturday, at this stage of the investigation, it is not necessary that the airlines or the manufacturers of engines take measures concerning the Boeing 787-8 aircraft or the Ge Genx-1B engines. A more in -depth investigation is underway.
