FAMILIES of the victims who tragically died in the Air India crash have slammed the preliminary report as a cover-up.
The mystery surrounding the crash has intensified after an initial investigation revealed that the plane’s fuel switches had been turned off, leading to a devastating loss of thrust during take-off.
According to the 15-page report released by Indian Authorities, the initial findings suggest that the switches for the engines’ fuel supplies were moved from the “RUN” position to “CUTOFF”.
“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” the report said.
Subsequently, the fuel switches returned to the “RUN” position, and the engines seemed to be regaining power, but “one of the pilots then transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY'”, the report stated.
Analysis of the cockpit voice recording revealed that one of the pilots asked: “Why did you cut off?”
To which the other pilot replied: “I didn’t.”
Though the report does not identify which comments were made by the flight’s captain and which were made by the first officer.
However, families of some of the 260 victims have slammed the report, saying “they dont accept it.”
They have dubbed the report “biased” and said it only appears to “blame the dead pilots”.
Ameen Siddiqui, the brother-in-law of Akeel Nanabawa, died alongside his wife and their four-year-old daughter, told The Telegraph: “It’s a cover-up to protect Air India and the government.
“They want to blame dead pilots who can’t defend themselves.
“How can the fuel switches end up turning off at a critical moment, either through pilot error or a mechanical fault?”
Key findings of the report:
- Dual engine shutdown – fuel cutoff switches moved from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’
- Confusion between pilots – cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked ‘why did you cutoff’, the other replied ‘I didn’t’
- RAT deployed – as seen in CCTV footage before the crash
- Engine relight attempted – fuel switches were found returned to the “RUN” at crash site
- 32 seconds – the time the aircraft was airborne before it crashed
- Thrust levers mismatch – Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged
- Fuel test pass – fuel was clean without any contamination
- Normal take-off set-up – Flaps and landing gear correctly configured
- No bird activity – clear skies, good visibility, light winds
- Pilot credentials clear – both medically fit and rested
- No sabotage detected – although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India
- Aircraft loading – the flight was within weight and balance limits
“And if these pilots were so careless, why did the government allow them to fly at all? Air India until recently was owned by the government.”
Meanwhile, the cousin of sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, who were flying home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday, said he was “not satisfied” by the report.
Ishan Baxi said: “We’re still hoping for a more transparent and honest investigation that doesn’t shy away from addressing possible mechanical flaws or lapses in protocol to avoid future potential accidents.
“I just hope the final report brings full clarity on what exactly failed and who’s accountable. It shouldn’t hide behind vague terms.”
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (APAI) said the report was biased and without sufficient evidence.
However, the India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu that investigators probed in a “mature, transparent” way.
“This is a preliminary report. We want the final report to come in, so let us wait for it,” he added.
Flipping the switches to cut off almost immediately cuts the fuel supply to the engines.
It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire.
But the inconclusive report, which came after 30 days of the crash, does not indicate that the flight encountered any such emergency situation.
It is almost impossible to turn the switches off accidentally – they must be pulled up and locked before flipping – a safety design feature that was introduced decades ago.
Protective guards are further installed to minimise the risks – raising further questions as to why the fuel switches in the Air India flight were turned off.
Sources say the black box analysis has so far been unable to rule out “improper, inadvertent or intentional” action that caused them to be flipped.
Interestingly, the report points out that the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2018 issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) – highlighting that a few Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged.
But it was not deemed unsafe, and no Airworthiness Directive (AD) – a legally enforceable regulation to correct unsafe conditions in a product – was issued, according to the BBC.
The same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India’s VT-ANB Dreamliner in question.
The report also found that pilots were able to restart one of the engines, but failed to stop the plane from decelerating.
At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash
Experts have said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches.
“If they were moved because of a pilot, why?” asked U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse.
No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane’s flight path, the report added.
Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder had more than 14,000 hours of flying experience between them – including some 9,000 hours on the 787.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board – including 53 Brits – smashed into a doctors’ hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India.
The plane was headed to London Gatwick when it crashed just seconds after take-off.
Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air.
Moments later, it was seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast was seen in the distance.
Brit passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the sole survivor of the fatal crash.
He cheated death after being flung from seat 11A on the flaming Air India jet – escaping with minor injuries and filmed walking away after the wreck.
Incredible footage showed him walking away from the wreckage almost unscathed.
Flanked by the locals, he can be seen making his way towards an ambulance with blood caking his face.
Speaking in Hindi, he says: “I just got out of the plane, it exploded.”
