Air India pilots tried to restart engines: Crash report finds thrust levers idle, ‘suggesting disconnect/failure’

The
report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad mentioned that both pilots tried to restart the engines but were unable to recover, leading to the devastating crash that killed over 260 people.

According to the preliminary report, moments after take-off, both the switches in the cockpit that controlled fuel going to the engines had been moved to the “cut-off” position. Drawing information from the voice recordings inside the cockpit, one of the pilots is heard asking the other Why did he cut off?”, referring to the fuel switch.

“The other pilot responded that he did not do so.” Seconds after, the plane began losing altitude. Amid the chaos, an emergency message was transmitted from the cockpit to the air traffic control, right before the plane crashed to the ground outside the airport perimeter. While all this was happening, the pilots were trying to recover the aircraft.

 What happened after the switches transitioned to cut-off

According to the AAIB report, the fuel switches were moved to cut off “one after another”. Seconds later, the pilots moved back the switched to the “run” position to turn the fuel back on. This resulted in a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction. Engine 1 started the core recovery, but Engine 2 could not arrest the core speed after fuel re-introduction.

“Thrust levers found at idle, but the black box shows takeoff thrust was still engaged, suggesting a disconnect/failure,” the report stated. Apart from this, the report maintained that the engine fuel was tested to be clean and there was no contamination from refuelling sources. “⁠Flap setting (5 degrees) and gear (DOWN) were normal for takeoff. No bird activity or weather issues – clear skies, good visibility, light winds,” the report read.

“The AAIB report said the credentials of the pilots were clear and both were medically fit and rested, with adequate experience on the type,” it furthered. However, it is important to note that it is a preliminary report, and the probe into the devastating crash is still ongoing. It would take months for the final report to come to light.