The initial investigation report of Air India flight AI-171 accident going from Ahmedabad to London on June 12 has raised more questions rather than responding. 241 people aboard the aircraft died in the accident, as well as 19 people were killed on the ground. But the most shocking thing of the report is that the fuel-cutoff switches of the two engines suddenly stopped after a few seconds of flying.
Voices
In the cockpit voice recorder, a pilot asks, “Why did you cutoff?”, And another answer, “I didn’t.” This conversation has confused investigators. Both engines of the aircraft are not normal to stop suddenly, especially when the fuel-cutoff switches are behind a security lock and can be deliberately turned on/off.
Important things related to investigation report:
No party has been convicted in the report.
No mechanical failure, bird hit, fuel malfunction or other emergency.
Both engines stopped, then tried to start them again just before the crash – but by then it was late.
An old FAA (American Aviation Body) Advisory has also surfaced, which warned that the fuel-cutoff lock cannot work under some circumstances. Air India ignored it as “only advisory”.
Software mistake?
Some experts believe that Boeing 787 may also be the cause of this accident in Boeing 787, which has automatically triggered the fuel-cutoff. However, it has not been confirmed yet.
The anger of the pilot union has raised serious objections to the Indian Pilots Union (ALPA-I). He says that without the pilot’s mistake proved, the tone of the report is like blaming them. The union has demanded to make the entire CVR and FDR recording public and include pilot representatives in the investigation team.
Now what next?
Investigations include Boeing, GE, FAA and America’s NTSB team. The report says that no recommendation against any party (Boeing or GE) is not necessary – which is surprising many experts. Security analyst Sanjay Lazarus said, “This report of AAIB gives up many important questions. Whatever the reason behind this accident remains a mystery.”
