Preliminary Findings on Air India Crash

A preliminary investigation into the Air India crash that resulted in the tragic loss of 260 lives last month has revealed critical details about the incident. According to the report, the aircraft’s engine fuel cutoff switches were inadvertently flipped from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff,’ leading to a catastrophic fuel starvation of the engines.

Timeline of Events Leading to the Crash

The sequence of events began on June 12, when Air India Dreamliner VT-ANB landed in Ahmedabad from New Delhi at 11:17 AM as flight AI423. At 1:18:38 PM, the aircraft departed from Bay 34 at the airport. By 1:25:15 PM, it had requested and received taxi clearance, proceeding to Runway 23 via Taxiway R4. The aircraft was transferred from ground to tower control at 1:32:03 PM and received take-off clearance at 1:37:33 PM. The aircraft began its take-off roll at 1:37:37 PM and lifted off at 1:38:39 PM.

Critical Moments During Takeoff

Shortly after liftoff, at 1:38:42 PM, the aircraft reached a maximum airspeed of 180 knots. It was then that both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ within a second of each other. This action led to a decrease in engine power as fuel supply was cut off. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot questioning why the cutoff occurred, with the other pilot denying any intentional action.

Efforts to Regain Control

As the engines lost power, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed, providing emergency hydraulic power. By 1:38:52 PM, attempts were made to restart Engine 1 by switching its fuel cutoff back to ‘RUN,’ followed by Engine 2 at 1:38:56 PM. While Engine 1 began recovering, Engine 2 struggled with core speed deceleration despite repeated attempts to reintroduce fuel.

Final Moments and Aftermath

At 1:39:05 PM, a distress call of “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” was transmitted by one of the pilots. Data recording ceased at 1:39:11 PM. The crash fire tender was dispatched for rescue operations at 1:44:44 PM. The report highlights critical issues in cockpit procedures and raises questions about potential mechanical or human errors that led to this devastating accident.