The investigation into the Air India crash is also looking into the movement of fuel control switches that sit in the center console of the cockpit. A month after one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history, the preliminary report is expected on the Air India plane crash ‘very soon’, which killed 250 people in Ahmedabad on June 12.
The report, set to be released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), comes a month after the crash and is expected to offer the first official clues to what caused the aircraft to lose thrust just 30 seconds after taking off.
Senior officials of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) told a parliamentary panel this week that the preliminary report on the London-bound plane crash will be put in public domain in the next few days.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also on Friday said the report is will be out “very soon”.
The Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly into a medical hostel complex shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing all but one passenger on the ill-fated aircraft.
Here’s what has emerged so far from the tragic crash:
⦁ The AAIB, which is conducting the probe into the crash, is being led by DG AAIB and has aviation experts, including an aviation medicine specialist, an ATC officer, and representatives from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
⦁ The AAIB officials had said that the preliminary report on the crash would be made public within 30 days of the tragic accident. However, there is not much clarity on how much information would be available in the report.
⦁ The investigators have revealed very few details since the crash, and the preliminary report is expected to be very basic and factual.
⦁ This is also the first time that the black box of a crashed plane is being investigated in India. Several aviation agencies, including foreign experts, have been roped in the investigation.
⦁ The cockpit voice and the flight data recorders have been retrieved from the black box, and their content has been extracted and is being probed by the authorities. The Air India pilot reportedly issued one mayday alert before the aircraft crashed.
⦁ Bloomberg, quoting officials aware of the matter, said that the investigation is also looking into the movement of fuel control switches that sit in the center console of the cockpit. It is unclear whether the pilots toggled the switches, either inadvertently or intentionally.
⦁ The investigators haven’t found any evidence that would suggest the crash was caused by a design or mechanical problem with the Boeing aircraft or the GE engines, the report added.
⦁ Several videos have surfaced online showing a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed on the Air India flight. It is widely being believed that RAT was deployed, suggesting a dual engine failure.
⦁ However, experts have said that restarting the engines at such low altitude and speed just seconds after takeoff wasn’t feasible.
