When the preliminary report on the Air India Flight 171 crash – which killed 260 people in June – many hoped that it would bring some measure of closure.
Instead, the 15 -page report added fuel to a fire storm of speculation. Because, despite the dimensioned tone of the report, a detail continues to pursue investigators, aviation analysts and the public.
Seconds after the departure, both fuel switches of the 12-year-old Boeing 787 sharply moved into a “cut”, reducing the fuel of the engines and causing a general loss of energy-step, which is usually done only after landing.
The voice of the cockpit captures a pilot asking the other why he “made the section”, to which the man replies that he did not. The recording does not clarify who said what. During the take -off, the pilot flew the plane as the captain was watching.
The switches were returned to their normal position in the West, activating automatic engine extraction. During the crash, one engine regains the thrust while the other had religious but has not yet restored power. The plane was in the air for less than a minute before colliding in a neighborhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.
Following the preliminary report, several speculative theories have emerged – a full report for a year or more is expected.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Reuters have announced that “the new details in the Air India crash survey last month are transferring the focus to the senior pilot in the cockpit.”
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera claims that his sources told them to the first officer to repeatedly ask the captain why he “turned off the engines”.
The 56-year-old Sumeet Sabharwal was the captain of the flight, while 32-year-old Clive Kunder was the pilot flying on the plane. Together, the two pilots had more than 19,000 hours of flight – almost half of it on Boeing 787. Both had passed all health checks before the flight before the crash.
Understandably, the wave of speculative leaks shook investigators and angry Indian pilots.
Last week, in a statement about investigating accidents in India (AAIB), the leading researcher said in a statement that “some sections of international media have repeatedly tried to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting.” She described these “actions [as] Infant, especially as the investigation continues. “
Jennifer Homidi, chairman of the US National Transport Safety Council (NTSB), who assists the investigation, told X that media reports were “premature and speculative” and that investigations with this magnitude take time. “
In India, the Association of Indian trade pilots condemned the hurry to blame the crew as “reckless” and “deeply insensitive”, insisting restraint until the final report is out.
Sam Thomas, Head of the Airline Pilots Association in India (ALPA India), told the BBC that “speculation had been triumphant due to transparency”, emphasizing the need to review the aircraft maintenance and documentation with the voice recorder recorder.
At the heart of the dispute is the short record of the cockpit in the report – the complete transcript expected in the final report must cast a clearer light on what really happened.
[BBC]
An air accident researcher based in Canada, which prefers to remain unnamed, said that an excerpt from the conversation in the report was presented in several options.
For example, “if the” B “pilot is the one who operated the switches – and this involuntarily or unconsciously – understandable that he will later deny to do it,” the investigator says.
“But if the pilot” A “managed the switches intentionally and with intent, he may have asked the question, knowing that the voice recorder of the cockpit would also be considered to divert attention and avoid identification as responsible.
“Even if Aaib is ultimately able to determine who said what, it does not answer the question” Who excluded the fuel? “
“We can even never know the answer to this question.”
Investigators have told the BBC that although there may seem to be serious evidence, fuel switches are manually turned off, it is still important to maintain an “open mind”.
Problem in the Digital Digital Aircraft Digital Management System (FADEC) – which monitors engine health and performance – in theory can cause automatic shutdown if it receives false signals from sensors, some pilots suggest.
However, if the pilot’s exclamation – “Why did you cut off [the fuel]? – He came after the switches moved into a break (as noted in the preliminary report), he will undermine this theory. The final report is likely to include a dialogue with time stamped and a detailed analysis of engine data to clarify this.
The speculation is fueled less than who said what more than that said.
The preliminary report detains the transcript of the full pilot voice recorder (CVR), revealing only one, telling a line of recent moments.
This selective disclosure raised questions: was the investigation team on the identity of the speakers, but chose to refuse the rest of the sensitivity? Or are they still uncertain whose votes have heard and need more time to fully investigate the question before posting any conclusions?
Peter Gaelz, former NTSB managing director, says Aaib must release a copy of voice recorders with identified pilot votes.
“If any malfunctions will start during the departure, they will be recorded in the Flight Data Record (FDR) and would probably activate reports in the flight management system – warnings that the crew would almost certainly notice and more important is discussed.”
Investigators are calling for restraint to draw conclusions.
“We have to be cautious because it is easy to assume that if the switches have been ruled out, it should mean deliberate action – a pilot error, suicide or something. The former investigator of an airline incident and aviation expert at the State University of Ohio, a former airline researcher and aviation expert at the Ohio State University, former Airlines Researcher and Aviation Expert State Researcher.
At the same time, alternative theories continue to spread.
Indian newspapers include Indian express marks a possible electric fire in the queue as a key focus. But the preliminary report is clear: the engines are switched off as both fuel switches were moved into interruption – a fact supported by the recorder data. If a caudal fire occurs, this may have happened after the impact activated by spilled fuel or damaged batteries, an independent researcher said.
Last week, the Chief GVG Yugandhar Aaib stressed that the preliminary report aims to “provide information about” what “happened.
“It is early for certain conclusions,” he said, emphasizing that the investigation continues and the final report will identify “root causes and recommendations.” He also promised to share updates on “technical or public matters” when they arise.
Summarizing, d -pruchnicki, said the probe “comes down to two possibilities – either intentional action, or confusion, or a problem related to automation.”
“The report is in no hurry to blame the human mistake or intention; there is no proof that it has been intentionally,” he added.
In other words, without a smoking gun – just a restless waiting for answers that may never even appear completely.