New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Aviation expert Ehsan Khalid stated on Saturday that the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) indicate that the Air India crash in Ahmedabad occurred due to a loss of power in both engines.
Speaking to ANI, Khalid emphasised that any claims suggesting the pilots deliberately shut down the engines three seconds after takeoff are completely incorrect.
He explained that the switch in question is a physical one and cannot be activated accidentally, nor can it move due to any failure or malfunction.
“When it collided, the switch position was in the run position. The AAIB report to me is only conclusive in saying that the accident happened because both engines lost power. Any kind of suggestion that pilots killed the engines 3 seconds after takeoff is totally incorrect. It is not possible that the switches can move from one place to another on their own,” the aviation expert said.
“The AAIB preliminary report has clarified a few speculations, which are out the window now. There was no sabotage, there was no fuel contamination, there was no flap misconfiguration, there was no problem with the aircraft maintenance, the Aircraft was producing full power, it achieved the right speed, and it got airborne, and the first three seconds of its flight were absolutely normal,” Khalid added.
He noted that the physical switch cannot move inadvertently because of any failure or malfunction.
“Now this is conclusively proven by the AAIB report. In the timestamp of 0842, which is three seconds after takeoff, the AAIB report states that the power and the engine fuel switch move transitions from the run to cutoff within one second. That means within one second, this switch moved its position. There is no automatic movement of the switch. The switch is a physical switch and it cannot move inadvertently or because of any failure or because of any malfunction,” he added.
He stated that the conversation between the two pilots of Air India Flight 171, which crashed in Ahemadabad killing 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground, mentioned in the reports revealed that both the pilots were aware that the aircraft Engine power had been lost, and the pilots also were aware that they did not do any action to cause this.
“What is conclusive is that at that particular instance, the aircraft stopped producing power. It was producing 100 per cent power or thrust, and thereafter it started to reduce power, at which the AAIB says the pilot asked the other pilot, Why did you cut off the switch? Pilot said, I didn’t do it. That means pilots were aware that the aircraft Engine power had been lost, and pilots also were aware that they did not do any action to cause this. From thereafter, for the next 10 to 14 seconds, the engines were not producing power and the aircraft eventually lost lift and speed and then it continued to descend,” he further added.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released the preliminary report into the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
The report outlines a harrowing sequence of events that unfolded within 90 seconds of takeoff, as both engines of the aircraft shut down unexpectedly during the initial climb, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust and rapid descent.
Flight AI171 was a scheduled service from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, carrying 230 passengers and crew. The crash represents one of the deadliest aviation accidents in India in recent history.
Flight data recovered from the aircraft’s Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) revealed that the fuel cutoff switches for both engines were inadvertently moved from RUN to CUTOFF, one after the other within a 1-second interval, at an altitude just moments after liftoff. One pilot was heard asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the response was, “I did not.”
This uncommanded shutdown triggered the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), and the aircraft began losing altitude almost immediately, unable to sustain powered flight.
According to the AAIB, the pilots re-engaged the fuel switches in an attempt to relight both engines. Engine 1 showed signs of recovering thrust, but Engine 2 failed to stabilise. The aircraft, which had briefly reached a speed of 180 knots, was already descending and failed to regain altitude. The final distress call — a “MAYDAY” — was transmitted at 08:09 UTC, just seconds before the aircraft crashed into residential buildings outside the airport perimeter. (ANI)
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