The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report into the tragic plane crash that occurred in Ahmedabad. The investigation has found that the cause of the accident was the unintended turning off of the aircraft’s fuel control switch. The report states that the switch was turned off almost immediately after takeoff, resulting in a catastrophic failure of both engines.
Shortly after liftoff, the fuel control switch was changed from “RUN” to ‘CUTOFF’, cutting off fuel delivery to both engines. This caused the engines to function only for a brief period, just 32 seconds, before they lost all thrust mid-air. Cockpit audio recordings reveal a moment of confusion as the pilot is heard asking whether the switch had indeed been turned off. The co-pilot can also be heard speaking during these critical seconds.
The AAIB report rules out external factors such as bird strikes or adverse weather as the cause of the crash. It confirms that the fatal chain of events was triggered by the fuel cutoff, which occurred shortly after the aircraft reached a speed of 180 knots. The engines lost thrust almost simultaneously, leading to a rapid drop in speed and altitude.
Notably, CCTV footage shows the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deploying moments after takeoff. RATs are typically activated only when there is a complete power loss, further confirming that both engines had shut down mid-air.
Although the crew attempted to rectify the issue by switching the fuel control back to ‘RUN’, only one engine, Engine 2, showed signs of partial recovery. Engine 1, however, failed to regain thrust and remained unresponsive. The report states that Engine 2 temporarily regained some stability, but this was insufficient to sustain flight.
The aircraft’s forward Extended Airframe Flight Recorder (EAFR) was successfully retrieved and the data downloaded, contributing valuable information to the report. However, the EAFR located at the rear of the aircraft suffered severe data loss, which the investigators have been unable to recover through systematic means.
The accident involved Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating as flight AI171, which crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12. The plane was headed for London and had just cleared the runway when it crashed near the BJ Medical College Hostel in Ahmedabad.
The flight was carrying 242 passengers. Tragically, 260 people lost their lives in the accident, including 19 who died at the crash site. Out of the total passengers, 169 were Indian citizens, 53 were British, seven were Portuguese, and one was a Canadian citizen of Portuguese origin. Only one person on board survived the crash.
The 15-page preliminary report has been submitted to the AAIB. A detailed final report has been recommended to further investigate the causes and responsibilities behind the crash.
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