Air India Crash Report Released: Could the Tragedy Have Been Prevented?

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report on the Air India AI-171 crash, identifying a critical issue that may have led to the tragedy.

The investigation revealed that the Boeing 787-8 aircraft’s engine fuel control switches moved from the ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position within three seconds of take-off. This resulted in the aircraft crashing just 34 seconds after departing from Ahmedabad on June 12.

The AAIB has ruled out weather conditions, bird strikes, or bird activity as contributing factors.

Although the 15-page report is preliminary and subject to revision, it highlights a crucial concern flagged by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as early as 2018—seven years before the crash.

In December 2018, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), warning that fuel control switches on certain Boeing 737 aircraft were installed with the locking feature disengaged. This same switch design was used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including the ill-fated Air India VT-ANB.

The AAIB report notes that this concern was not deemed an "unsafe condition" by the FAA and, therefore, did not warrant a mandatory airworthiness directive.
“As per the information from Air India, the suggested inspections were not carried out as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory,” the report states.

Fuel control switches regulate fuel flow to the engines and are used by pilots to start or shut down engines on the ground. They can also be used midair to restart engines in case of failure.

The report underscores the significance of this mechanism, as both fuel control switches on AI-171 were turned off in rapid succession seconds after take-off, causing both engines to shut down.

According to cockpit voice recorder data, one pilot can be heard asking the other why the fuel was cut off. The other pilot responded, “I did not.” The last conversation between the pilots does raise suspicion on whether the fuel control switches were turned off as the locking feature was disengaged.

The crash claimed the lives of all 241 people on board, along with more than 30 individuals on the ground, as the aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College complex in Ahmedabad.

Also read: Air India Ahmedabad crash: Key findings from AAIB preliminary report