- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on the Air India crash in Ahmedabad
- 241 people died and one survived when the plane crashed into a medical college shortly after takeoff
- Preliminary findings show fuel to the engines was cut off seconds after takeoff, cause remains unclear
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on its probe into the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Friday night. 241 people onboard the aircraft were killed, with only one survivor. Shortly after taking off, on 12th June, the flight crashed into a medical college.
Imtiyaz Ali, had been waiting for the findings in the report as last month's crash had killed his brother, sister-in-law and two children, but he was disappointed as he told the BBC that it "reads like a product description." He added, "Other than the pilots' final conversation, there's nothing in it that really points to what caused the crash."
He said that the family wants to know what exactly happened, and although they will still grieve, the report will provide them with some answers. The final report is expected in a year.
The preliminary investigation found that the fuel to the engines in the plane had been cut off just seconds after it took off. It is still not clear why or how that happened. However, voice recordings have been recovered from the cockpit, where the pilots can be heard asking, "why did you cut off?" to which the other pilot responded that he "did not do so".
Shweta Parihar, 41, who lost her husband in the plane crash, asked, "What will they do in the investigation, tell us how it happened? The life of how many people, 250 passengers, what will they say, sorry? Everything is done, everything is finished."
Her husband was meant to fly later in the month but decided to come early, and unfortunately ended up in the Air India flight.
She said that her 11-year-old son misses his father and tells her that he won't fly Air India ever again.
Badasab Syed, 59, who lost his brother, sister-in-law, and two children, said he was left with more questions after the release of the report. "The report mentions the pilots discussing who turned off fuel and a possible issue with the fuel control switch. We don't know, what does that mean? Was this avoidable?" he questioned.
He stated that his brother's death has shattered the family and is proving to be the most difficult on their 83-year-old mother, Bibi Sab. "Losing her son and grandchildren has made her weak. I think she is not able to even tell us how she feels," he said.
