At least 270 people were killed in the crash, including 241 of the 242 people on board.
- The fuel cutoff switches transitioned from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF', starving the engines of fuel
- The preliminary report said there is no immediate evidence of sabotage
- The plane was airborne only for 32 seconds
The preliminary report of the investigation into the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 has been released and one of the key findings confirms what had been suspected - both engines of the plane had shut down mid-air within seconds of take-off.
The report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau into the crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 - in which at least 270 people were killed, including 241 of the 242 on board - said the fuel cutoff switches, which control the flow of fuel to the engines, transitioned from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' position one after another, within a second of each other.
Crucially, in the cockpit voice recording, one pilot can be heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” and the other pilot replies, “I didn't”.
The fact that the switches transitioned to ‘CUTOFF', starving the engines of fuel, is expected to be the key focus area of the investigation going forward.
The report - released after 1 am on Saturday - notes that, as seen in footage of the crash, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed, indicating a total loss of power and thrust in the aircraft.
"The CCTV footage obtained from the airport showed Ram Air Turbine (RAT) getting deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off. No significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall," the report states.
Data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), commonly known as the black box, revealed that both switches were moved back to the ‘RUN' position and while Engine 1 showed signs of recovery, Engine 2 could not.
“Engine 1's core deceleration stopped, reversed and started to progress to recovery. Engine 2 was able to relight but could not arrest core speed deceleration and reintroduced fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration and recovery,” the AAIB noted in the report.
Flap Setting Normal
The aircraft was airborne only for 32 seconds and the report notes that it travelled only 0.9 nautical miles before crashing into the BJ Medical College Hostel close to the airport. The crash occurred at 1.39 pm.
The report said that while the thrust levers were found near the idle position, the data from the black box revealed that they were in the forward position until the impact. Both fuel control switches were also in the 'RUN' position.
Putting to rest a key area of speculation, the report revealed that the flap setting (at five degrees) and the landing gear lever position (DOWN) were normal for take-off.
'No Immediate Evidence Of Sabotage'
Another crucial observation made by the AAIB is that there is no immediate evidence of sabotage.
The investigating body noted that the Federal Aviation Authority had issued an advisory in 2018 about the fuel control switches.
"The FAA issued Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) No. NM-18-33 on December 17, 2018, regarding the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. This SAIB was issued based on reports from operators of Model 737 airplanes that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. The airworthiness concern was not considered an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) by the FAA," the report said.
Air India, it said, had not carried out the inspections, but they were not mandatory.
"As per the information from Air India, the suggested inspections were not carried out as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory. The scrutiny of maintenance records revealed that the throttle control module was replaced on VT-ANB in 2019 and 2023. However, the reason for the replacement was not linked to the fuel control switch. There has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB," it noted.
Other Factors?
The report said that there were no weather issues at the time of the crash. The skies were clear, visibility was good, and winds were not too strong.
The pilots were also medically fit and rested and had adequate experience flying that type of aircraft.
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