Questions that arise in the wake of AAIB report

A theatre of the absurd has followed the release — in the early hours of July 12 — of preliminary findings of the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in the Air India crash last month.

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The AAIB preliminary report clearly indicated that the crash was caused by dual engine failure triggered by a loss of fuel supply soon after takeoff. What it left unanswered is what led to the fuel cutoff.

Two possible theories emerged as the report was dissected. One group's view was that some equipment failure led to the cutoff while the other favoured the view that the cutoff was triggered by deliberate manual action since the switches can’t move through inadvertent human action.

A few, selective leaks to the international media helped the “crash as a result of a deliberate action by the captain” view gain traction. A tsunami of explanations by the group pushing this view has swept YouTube, WhatsApp, social media platforms and all corners of the internet. Reportage by many international publications and platforms has propped up this narrative, seeking to convince the public that this is the only possible explanation, notwithstanding the absence of adequate evidence to draw such a conclusion with certainty. This theory has effectively ruled out any kind of equipment failure.