DELHI: A preliminary report by Indian aviation accident investigators said on Saturday (July 12) the fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad last month showed the plane’s engines’ fuel cutoff switches shifting from cutoff to run within seconds of each other.
“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers”, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said.
The agency, an office under India’s civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
The Boeing BA.N 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink, according to the report released on Saturday by Indian aviation accident investigators.
One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
It did not identify which remarks were made by the flight’s captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” just before the crash.
UNCLEAR HOW FUEL CUTOFF SWITCH FLIPPED
The preliminary report also does not say how the switch could have flipped to the cutoff position on the June 12 London-bound flight from the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
US aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. “You can’t bump them and they move,” he said.
Flipping to the cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergencies, such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff.
“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GE.N GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers”, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said.
Air India, Boeing and GE Aviation did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The agency, an office under India’s civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
About Author
This post was originally published on this site
