It's been over a month since the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, yet the true cause remains a mystery. The initial report released by the government investigation agency seems incomplete, leaving many crucial questions unaddressed. Now, Sanjiv Kapoor, a former Indian Air Force officer and aviation expert, has raised significant doubts about this report. He asserts that the real events inside the cockpit are still unclear.
Sanjiv Kapoor has called the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report 'incomplete' and questioned the delay. In an India Today interview, he stated clearly that pilots do not issue a 'Mayday' call lightly. This indicates an extremely critical situation. There's no doubt the engines failed, but how? The report remains silent on this.
'Why is there no explanation for the fuel supply shutdown in the report?'
According to the AAIB's report, just seconds before the crash, a pilot issued a distress call three times. The report states that at 1:38:39 PM Indian time, the aircraft took off, and only 26 seconds later, at 08:09:05, a pilot gave the emergency 'MAYDAY... MAYDAY... MAYDAY...' message.
The cockpit voice recorder captures a pilot asking the other, 'Why was the fuel supply cut off?' The response was, 'I didn't cut it off.' The report further notes that both engines' fuel control switches moved from 'run' to 'cutoff' mode simultaneously, immediately shutting down the engines and causing the aircraft to rapidly lose altitude.
The notion that any rational pilot would manually shut down the fuel cutoff switch after takeoff is absurd, argued Sanjiv Kapoor. He questioned if the pilot manually flew the plane, then turned it 170 degrees and shut the engines? It defies logic.
'Why is the information in the report incomplete?'
Kapoor also questioned the delay in the investigation. He mentioned that cockpit data was downloaded three weeks earlier. So why did the report take 20 days to release, and why is it still incomplete? More in-depth analysis should have been conducted in such time.
RAT system activated, but only one engine restarted
The AAIB's preliminary report noted that when the engines failed, the emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system activated automatically, providing some hydraulic power. The crew attempted to restart both engines, but only one was successful. As the aircraft continued losing altitude and speed, it eventually crashed into a hostel building, where students were present.
System failure under investigation
The report states that the investigation into the pilot’s mental state, automation system failures, and fuel supply systems continues. Experts suggest that if the fuel control switches were deliberately turned off, technical malfunctions, automation system errors, or other reasons might be at play, but the current report offers no insights on these aspects.
