Take-off to cut-off, all safety checks protocol followed: Air India crash probe report

As India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released the
preliminary report on the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, one of the aspects that remains clear is that adequate safety checks were followed from takeoff to the crash time.

The report released on Friday night indicated that fuel to the engine of the aircraft was cut off, leading to the deadly crash last month, which killed 260 people. It is pertinent to note that under international aviation rules, the investigating state must file an initial report with any findings within 30 days of an air crash.

The report by the Indian authorities stated that the switches in the cockpit of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner moved to a “
cutoff” from the “Run” position. “The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 knots IAS [indicated airspeed] at about 08:08:42 UTC, and immediately thereafter, the engine 1 and engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 1 second,” the report said.

“The engines N1 and N2 began to decrease from their takeoff values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” it furthered. The aircraft eventually lost altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall. Apart from this, the report stated that adequate checks were followed before and during the take-off.

The checks before and during the take-off

The report noted that both the pilots in charge had an adequate rest period before operating the AI171 that crashed just
31 seconds after taking off. Apart from this, the crew of the flight were also found to be fit while operating the flight.

When it comes to the take-off, the weights on the aircraft at that time were within allowable limits. “There was no ‘Dangerous Goods’ on the aircraft,” the report said. “Taxi clearance was received and the aircraft taxied from the bay to Runway 23 via Taxiway R4.”

The report mentioned that the plane achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots. Soon after this, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. Hence, both engines began to decrease take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off, which ultimately led to the crash.

It is pertinent to note that the report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is a preliminary one, and the case is now being further investigated.