Air India Crash Initial Report Found No Mechanical Or Maintenance Issues: CEO

A month after India witnessed one of its worst air crashes in decades, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson pointed out that the preliminary report on the AI171 crash found no mechanical or maintenance issue with the doomed aircraft or its engines.

His remarks came in a letter to the airline's employees, disapproving of media speculations, rumours, and theories that emerged over the past few weeks, especially after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its initial report a few days ago.

"Instead of focusing on such interpretations, I suggest we note that the Preliminary Report found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed. There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll," said Mr Wilson.

Read: Amid Air India Probe, US Aviation Body, Boeing Say Fuel Switch Locks Safe

He said the pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations regarding their medical status.

The June 12 crash killed 241 passengers and crew members on board the London-bound aircraft, while 30 others died in the crash impact on the ground. The AAIB report, released early Saturday morning, revealed that the aircraft's fuel switches were cut off, and an attempt was made to relight the engines. There was no evidence of sabotage or birdhit in the 15-page report.

The findings are only preliminary, and one must wait for the final report, Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has warned.

Stating that the report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, Mr Wilson urged the employees to "stop drawing premature conclusions" as the investigation is far from over, and asserted their readiness to cooperate with the investigators.

Read: "Air India Crash Report Unclear On Who Made Decisions": Pilots' Federation

"Until a final report or cause is tabled, there will no doubt be new rounds of speculation and more sensational headlines. We must nevertheless remain focused on our task and be true to the values that have powered Air India's transformation journey over the past three years - integrity, excellence, customer focus, innovation, and teamwork," said the Air India CEO.

He also assured that every Boeing 787 aircraft operating in the Air India fleet was checked within days after the accident, and all were found fit for service.