New Delhi - Saba:
A preliminary investigation on Saturday revealed that the fuel control switches for both engines of the Air India aircraft that crashed moments after takeoff—killing all 260 people on board—were moved from the "on" to the "off" position just before the crash.
The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, did not draw any final conclusions or assign blame for the June 12 disaster. However, it noted that one pilot asked the other why the fuel had been cut, to which the second pilot replied that he had not done so.
In the 15-page report, the bureau stated that as the aircraft reached its maximum recorded speed, “the fuel switches for Engine 1 and Engine 2 were moved from the 'on' to 'off' position one after the other, with a one-second gap.”
The report added: “In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot can be heard asking the other why the fuel switch was turned off. The other responds that he did not do it,” before the aircraft began a rapid descent.
The fuel switches were then returned to the “on” position and both engines began regaining power, but “one of the pilots issued a distress call.”
Air traffic controllers asked the crew about the problem, but soon observed the aircraft plummeting and crashing, prompting emergency teams to rush to the scene.
The bureau confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and that “additional evidence and information have been requested from relevant parties.”
The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and 12 crew members.
Dozens of people on the ground were injured, while one British passenger miraculously survived and was seen emerging from the wreckage before receiving hospital treatment and being discharged.