Air India crash: Fuel switch shift caused engine failure, says AAIB report

Disturbing Details Emerge in Air India Engine Failure Report

Unraveling the Mystery: The Air India Engine Failure That Shocked a Nation

The recent preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) sheds a grim light on the tragic Air India engine failure incident involving a Boeing 787-8 in Ahmedabad on June 12. This catastrophic event, which claimed the lives of 260 individuals, has left many questions in its wake. The AAIB’s findings point towards a critical and perplexing issue: an unexpected shift in the fuel control switches that led to both engines shutting down moments after the aircraft became airborne. This incident underscores the paramount importance of meticulous investigations in aviation safety and the complex interplay of human factors and mechanical integrity.

The report details a harrowing sequence of events that unfolded with terrifying speed. Just three seconds after liftoff at 1:38:42 pm, the fuel switches for one engine transitioned from “RUN” to “CUTOFF.” A mere second later, the second engine’s fuel switch followed suit. This immediate and critical interruption of fuel supply to both engines initiated an irreversible chain of events that culminated in the devastating Air India engine failure. While the report meticulously lays out these factual details, it deliberately refrains from drawing conclusions on whether these switch movements were accidental or intentional, leaving a chilling ambiguity for the final investigation to resolve.

Voices from the Cockpit: A Glimpse into the Air India Engine Failure

One of the most compelling, yet frustratingly incomplete, details from the preliminary report is the revelation from cockpit voice recordings. These recordings captured a pilot questioning the other about the fuel supply cut-off, to which the latter reportedly denied the action. This brief exchange, pregnant with unanswered implications, highlights the frantic moments inside the cockpit as the crew grappled with the unfolding crisis of the Air India engine failure. The AAIB’s decision not to include a full transcript or specify which pilot made the query only amplifies the public’s desire for a complete understanding of the incident. This critical piece of evidence will undoubtedly be central to the ongoing investigation as it seeks to reconstruct the crucial seconds leading to the crash.

Aviation safety expert Amit Singh, founder of the NGO Safety Matters, has voiced the collective sentiment of the aviation community, emphasizing the need for greater clarity. Singh’s remarks underscore the puzzling nature of the incident: how could supposedly locked fuel switches move to the CUTOFF position? He stresses that a comprehensive explanation detailing the sequence of failure messages and the aircraft’s response is crucial for uncovering the full truth behind the Air India engine failure. Until these granular details are meticulously examined and presented, the picture remains incomplete, and the aviation world waits with bated breath for definitive answers.

The Crew and the Crash: The Air India Engine Failure Timeline

At the helm of the ill-fated flight were First Officer Clive Kundar, with 1,100 flying hours, who was piloting the aircraft, and Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with 8,200 hours of experience, who was monitoring the flight. Their combined experience and the suddenness of the events emphasize the extraordinary nature of this Air India engine failure.

The timeline of the disaster is stark:

• 1:38:42 pm: Aircraft becomes airborne.
• 1:38:45 pm: First engine fuel switch shifts to CUTOFF.
• 1:38:46 pm: Second engine fuel switch shifts to CUTOFF.
• 30 seconds after liftoff: One of the pilots transmits a distress call – “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY.”
• Seconds later, 1:39 pm: The aircraft crashes just beyond the airport’s boundary.

Intriguingly, the report states that ten seconds after the switches moved to CUTOFF, they returned to their original RUN positions. One of the engines showed signs of recovery, but the second engine remained unresponsive, and deceleration continued. The aircraft’s data recording ceased at 1:39:11 p.m., just 17 seconds after the engine switches were restored to their normal operating positions. This detail further complicates the understanding of the Air India engine failure, raising questions about system responses and the ability to regain control in such dire circumstances.

Technical Aspects and Prior Warnings: Understanding the Air India Engine Failure

The AAIB confirmed that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), a vital backup power source, automatically deployed during the initial climb. This is a standard response in the event of a total engine failure, indicating that the aircraft’s systems responded as designed to the loss of primary power. Crucially, the investigation found no evidence of bird activity near the flight path, effectively ruling out bird strike as a contributing factor to the Air India engine failure. This eliminates a common cause of engine malfunctions and steers the focus entirely towards internal operational or mechanical issues.

Furthermore, the report notes that the aircraft had no prior recorded issues with the fuel control switches since 2023, the last time the throttle control module had been replaced. However, a significant detail emerges regarding a 2018 advisory from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This advisory warned of the potential disengagement of the fuel switch locking feature. Despite this warning, Air India reportedly did not carry out related inspections, citing the non-mandatory nature of the bulletin. This aspect is likely to be a focal point in the subsequent phases of the investigation, examining whether the non-compliance with the advisory played a role in the Air India engine failure. The AAIB also clarified that no additional airworthiness directives were currently in place for the Boeing 787-8 or the GE GEnx-1B engines on this particular aircraft, reinforcing the complexity of the circumstances.

The Path Forward: Investigating the Air India Engine Failure

Both Air India and Boeing have acknowledged receipt of the preliminary report and have affirmed their full cooperation with investigators and regulatory bodies. This collaborative effort is critical to uncovering the root causes of the Air India engine failure. According to international aviation norms, a preliminary report is mandated within 30 days of an accident. While it serves to outline factual details and establish a foundational understanding, it does not assign cause. That critical determination awaits a more detailed and exhaustive final investigation, which will delve deeper into all contributing factors, including human actions, mechanical failures, operational procedures, and regulatory compliance.

The ongoing investigation into the Air India engine failure is a multifaceted endeavor, collecting further evidence and information from all involved stakeholders. The aviation community, and indeed the world, awaits the final report with anticipation, hoping it will provide comprehensive answers and lead to measures that prevent such a catastrophic Air India engine failure from ever happening again. The insights gained from this tragic event will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing aviation safety protocols worldwide, reinforcing the continuous evolution of measures to protect lives in the skies.