Mystery Deepens

Reports have hinted at a possible pilot error for the Air India crash on June 12. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau says it's too early to reach a conclusion

- By MANU BALACHANDRAN

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE OVER A month and the mystery continues to deepen as to why Air India's AI 171 aircraft, a Boeing Dreamliner, crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12.

The aircraft, which was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad to London, crashed immediately after take off, killing all but one passenger on board. Investigations into what caused the accident continue to be speculative, although India's investigating agencies seem to have absolved Boeing, the makers of the Dreamliner aircraft, of any liability.

On July 12, a month after the accident, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a 15-page preliminary report that seems to point towards the position of the aircraft's fuel cutoff switches, which control the flow of fuel to the engines. The report said the aircraft had reached a maximum indicated airspeed (IAS) of 180 knots at 08:08:42 UTC, just before both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from "run" to "cutoff". The take off clearance for the aircraft was issued at 08:07:33 UTC. The aircraft started rolling at 08:07:37 UTC.

The switches transitioned from 'run' to 'cutoff' position one after another, within a second of each other, according to the report, with cockpit voices also confirming the situation. One of the pilots was heard asking the other, "Why did you cut off?" The other responded, "I did not do so." At the time the aircraft took off, the copilot was flying the plane, while the captain was monitoring.