Air India Flight 171 Crash: Junior Pilot Asks Captain Why Fuel Switches Were Turned Off

Air India Flight 171's cockpit voice recording reveals that the junior pilot asked the captain why he turned off the plane's fuel-supply switches. The captain initially denied it, but later reversed the action. The investigation is ongoing to determine whether the crash was caused by equipment failure or human error. Aviation experts and psychologists are involved in the investigation to assess the role of the pilots.

The preliminary investigation into the Air India Flight 171 crash, which claimed 260 lives in June, has revealed a chilling discovery. Just seconds after take-off, both of the 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving the engines of fuel and triggering total power loss. This move, typically done only after landing, occurred during the aircraft's initial ascent.

The cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking the other why he "did the cut-off," to which the person replies that he didn't. The recording doesn't clarify who said what, but it raises critical questions about the incident. The co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring at the time of the take-off.

The switches were returned to their normal inflight position, triggering automatic engine relight. However, at the time of the crash, one engine was regaining thrust while the other had relit but had not yet recovered power. The aircraft crashed into a crowded neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, marking one of India's most baffling aviation disasters.

Investigators are probing the wreckage and cockpit recorders to understand what went wrong just after take-off. The preliminary report from the investigation, led by Indian authorities with experts from Boeing, General Electric, Air India, Indian regulators, and participants from the US and UK, raises several questions.

According to experts, the lever-lock fuel switches are designed to prevent accidental activation. They must be pulled up to unlock before flipping, a safety feature dating back to the 1950s. The switches are highly reliable, and protective guard brackets further shield them from accidental bumps. However, it is almost impossible to pull both switches with a single movement of one hand, making accidental deployment unlikely.

Shawn Pruchnicki, a former airline accident investigator and aviation expert at Ohio State University, suggests that if one of the pilots was responsible for shutting down the switches, intentionally or not, it "does beg the question: why." There was no indication of any unusual situation in the cockpit, nor any discussion suggesting that the fuel switches were selected by mistake.

Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the US's NTSB, said, "The finding is very disturbing - that a pilot has shut off the fuel switch within seconds of flying." He believes that the cockpit voice recorder holds the key to this puzzle. Investigators need clear voice identification, a full cockpit transcript with labelled speakers, and a thorough review of all communications from the moment the plane was pushed back from the gate to the time it crashed.

The report also notes that in December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. While the issue was noted, it wasn't deemed an unsafe condition requiring an Airworthiness Directive (AD).

The same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB which crashed. As the SAIB was advisory, Air India did not perform the recommended inspections.

Capt Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), wonders whether the switches tripped because of a problem with the plane's electronic control unit. He suggests that the fuel cut-off switches could be triggered electronically by the plane's electronic control unit without movement by the pilot.

The investigation is ongoing, and families and friends of the crash victims anxiously await more details. The preliminary report, released early on Saturday in India, disappointed many with its lack of conclusive evidence.

References:
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2gy78gpnqo
[2] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/electrical-malfunction-could-have-led-to-fuel-switch-cut-off-before-air-india-plane-crash-expert/articleshow/122585848.cms