Investigators examining the Air India crash that killed 260 people are focusing on a possible error by the flight crew after early assessments ruled out technical faults with the aircraft itself.
Preliminary findings by U.S. officials suggest the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed shortly after takeoff in June, did not suffer from mechanical issues. Instead, attention has turned to the possibility that the pilots may have mistakenly turned off crucial switches controlling fuel flow to the jet’s engines.
These switches, essential for maintaining engine thrust during flight, are typically kept on. Investigators are working to determine whether the switches were turned off accidentally, deliberately, or as part of an emergency procedure. The Wall Street Journal reported that it remains unclear whether the flight crew attempted to reactivate the switches.
The sudden loss of engine thrust triggered the activation of the aircraft’s emergency power generator—known as the ram air turbine (RAT)—indicating severe power loss before the crash.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe, is expected to release a preliminary report in the coming weeks.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also involved in the investigation, given that the aircraft was American-made.
The plane, en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical college building just a mile from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Among the 242 people on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals. Only one person, 40-year-old British passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash.
Air India identified the pilots as Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, with over 10,000 hours of wide-body aircraft experience, and co-pilot Clive Kunder, who had logged more than 3,400 flight hours.
The crash marks the first fatal accident involving Boeing’s Dreamliner model, which until now had maintained an excellent safety record across global long-haul routes. The tragedy comes at a challenging time for Boeing, which is still grappling with multiple safety and manufacturing concerns.
Air India, which recently transitioned from state ownership, has been working to modernise and restore confidence in its operations. The fatal crash represents a major setback in those efforts.
Editing by M10News Aviation Desk | Contact: info@m10news.com
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