Fuel Cutoff Switch Error Caused Ahmedabad Air Crash: AAIB Preliminary Report

The 15-page preliminary report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) investigation into the deadly Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad on the 12th of last month was made public last night. Fuel to the plane's engines was cut off, according to the report, which looked at the events and engine behavior leading up to the crash of Air India flight AI 171, which involved a Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

According to the AAIB's report, "within seconds of lift off, both engine fuel control switches of the aircraft transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position one after another with a time gap of 01 seconds and turned off, resulting in devastating air tragedy."

The first probe report claims that one of the pilots can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he turned off the engines' fuel supply. The other pilot replies that he didn't.

According to the AAIB, "the fuel control switches were switched on later, but the deceleration in one of the engines could not be stopped."

 The flight lasted approximately 30 seconds between liftoff and the crash, according to the report. Both pilots had a sufficient amount of rest before the flight, according to the report. At this point in the investigation, there are no suggested courses of action for operators of GEnx-1B and Boeing 787-8 engines.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Lab tested fuel samples from the aircraft's bowsers and refueling tanks, and the results were satisfactory, it added. However, the left wing's refuel/jettison valve and APU filter could only recover a certain amount of fuel. These samples will be sent to a specialized facility that can perform tests with the smallest quantity available, according to the report.

The investigation team will examine further evidence that stakeholders are requesting, it further stated. Of the 242 people on board, 241 were killed when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into the hostel grounds of BJ Medical College outside the Ahmedabad, Gujarat, airport. Nineteen people on the ground were killed, and one passenger survived. The aircraft was traveling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.

Air India, meanwhile, stated today that it is collaborating closely with authorities and other interested parties and will keep doing so in the ongoing investigation into the Ahmedabad plane crash.

This tragedy serves as a reminder of how easily human or procedural errors can compromise aviation safety systems. Stakeholders are waiting for reforms to prevent a repeat of this catastrophe, in addition to answers as the final report approaches.

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